Did Crowe really do an Ashes?

Martin Crowe, the former New Zealand captain, has reportedly burnt his New Zealand blazer in protest against Ross Taylor's demotion as captain. The New Zealand Herald reported that golfer Ryan Fox re-tweeted a message from Crowe's @MartinCrowe299 account: "Burnt NZ cricket blazer Dec 7, 2012. RIP." Crowe's account, according to the newspaper, has since been deleted, together with the tweet, and so is Fox's re-tweet.

When the Herald tried to get in touch with Crowe, he texted: "With respect ... no comment now or ever." Crowe, in a column for ESPNcricinfo, voiced support for Taylor during the latest captaincy crisis, writing : "Over the last week NZC destroyed the soul of Ross Taylor, easily our best player. They have apparently apologised for the way his sacking from the captaincy was handled. Nevertheless they have amputated his spirit and there is no prosthetic for that.

"And yet NZC goes unaccountable. They continue to strip the worth from players and, therefore, as an organisation, they have definitely become worthless."

If at all his tweet was genuine, the literally fiery protest was just an affirmation of his disgust at the current state of New Zealand cricket. Pity there isn't a screen-grab to show for‎​ the drama. Perhaps, it was Crowe doing an Ashes‎​ with his blazer, not a pair of bails.