Martin Crowe

Bangalore: Former New Zealand captain Martin Crowe has flayed his country’s selection committee (headed by the iconic Sir Richard Hadlee) for hastening Stephen Fleming’s retirement from Test cricket.

“I don’t know why they were in such a hurry to give Daniel Vettori the captaincy in both forms... Stephen, I feel, could’ve captained for at least a year more,” Crowe told The Telegraph.

Speaking at the Windsor on Friday afternoon, before the Indian Premier League opener at the Chinnaswamy, Crowe added: “It’s only because the selectors took the captaincy away from Stephen that he decided to quit Test cricket.”

Fleming had, of course, retired from ODIs after the last World Cup. He bowed out of Test cricket too after the recent home series against England.

Crowe, one of the finest captains of his time (remembered, among other things, for opening with offie Dipak Patel in the 1992 World Cup), didn’t have kind words for New Zealand coach John Bracewell as well.

“He curbed Stephen’s style of captaincy and, generally, has had a very negative influence on our cricket,” Crowe pointed out.

Hand-picked by captain Rahul Dravid to be a part of the Bangalore Royal Challengers, Crowe is the team’s chief cricket officer.