Martin Crowe: Cricketer who became widely hailed as the greatest batsman in New Zealand's history

Crowe was a batsman in the classical mode but he was often wracked by self-doubt

Crowe in 1992: he played spin and fast bowling with equal assurance (AP)

A cricketer of prodigious talent, Martin Crowe made batting appear effortless while secretly struggling with the burden of being a world-class player in otherwise modest New Zealand teams. In a 13-year international career he established himself as arguably his country's greatest batsman,

He was the son of a first-class cricketer – his father Dave played a few matches for Canterbury province and had high ambitions for Martin, and his other son, Jeff, to surpass his achievements. Both went on to play for and captain New Zealand during one of the team's most successful periods.

Martin Crowe was a batsman in the classical mode, standing tall at the crease, using his feet with great expertise and playing spin and fast bowling with equal assurance. But he was often wracked by self-doubt. In his autobiography, Raw, Crowe said he "became a man who harboured grudges... The world record-holder for grievances." He had, he wrote, "a disconnected spirit and soul overwhelmed by the ego and the emotional instability created from my unfinished teenage development."

His elevation was indeed swift: he preceded Jeff, who was four years older, into the New Zealand teams in 1982 at 19, having played almost three years of first class cricket that established his reputation as a batsman of outstanding potential. His introduction to Test cricket was torrid, facing Australia's attack of Jeff Thomson and Dennis Lillee. Though they were both past their peak, they welcomed the youngster with a hail of bouncers at Wellington's Basin Reserve in February 1982. A short ball from Thomson dislodged Crowe's helmet. Disconcerted, he looked almost relieved to be run out for nine.

He made two in the second Test, in Auckland, and nine in the third, at Christchurch, to accumulate only 20 runs for the series. But he went on to play 77 Tests and 143 one-day internationals, scoring 5,444 Test runs at an average of 45.36 with 17 centuries, and 4,704 in limited-overs internationals at 38.55.

His second-innings 299 against Sri Lanka in 1991 was the highest Test score by a New Zealander until Brendan McCullum's 302 against India in 2014. Crowe's partnership of 467 with Andrew Jones, at the time the biggest for any Test wicket, remains the third-highest.

"The greatest skill you have as a batsman is the ability to see the ball out of the hand," he said in 2008. "Once you do that, you have created time and are gathering information instinctively, processing it and making a decision on what to do. If you see it early, you have time, but if you see it late, you tend to play it early because you are searching for the ball. You are not decisive. This differentiates a very good player from a not-so-good player."

Crowe was also outstanding tactically as captain, although he could also be stand-offish with team-mates. His innovative leadership carried New Zealand to the 1992 World Cup semi-finals, further than anyone had expected. He used off-spinner Dipak Patel to great effect with the new ball and excelled with his field settings and aggression at the top of the order.

He first established himself in New Zealand's middle order on the 1983 tour of England, gleaning confidence from a handful of moderate scores – his best was a first-innings 46 in the third Test at Lord's. When England went to New Zealand for the return series in 1984, Crowe scored the first of his 17 Test centuries in the series opener. His second century didn't come for more than a year, until New Zealand's next home series against Pakistan. He then settled into a pattern of ruthless accumulation that marked the best years of his career.

A brilliant first-innings 188 against West Indies was followed by another 188 in a famous New Zealand win over Australia in 1985. Richard Hadlee took nine wickets in the first innings and 15 for the match as New Zealand, helped by Crowe's outstanding eight-hour knock, won by an innings and 41 runs at Brisbane.

Hadlee's retirement in 1990 left Crowe as New Zealand's only world-class player, and at times he struggled with the responsibility. He also battled increasing injuries, which ended his career in 1995. He had been a promising medium-pace bowler but injury had quickly forced him to quit the bowling crease.

A book about Crowe in the 1990s was called Tortured Genius, which the commentator Bryan Waddle believes is apt. "He wasn't always understood," said Waddle, who toured with Crowe for more than a decade. "He was a genius who had a few weaknesses in his game and personality and they sometimes came to the fore. However, if you got to know him, he had a very keen sense of humour."

Crowe was diagnosed with aggressive follicular lymphoma in 2012 and after chemotherapy, was thought to be in remission. But he announced in 2014 that the cancer, which he called "my friend and tough taskmaster," had returned. He is survived by his wife, the 1983 Miss Universe Lorraine Downes. His cousin, the actor Russell Crowe, called him "my champion, my hero, my friend. I will love you forever. RIP."

Martin David Crowe, cricketer and commentator: born Henderson, New Zealand 22 September 1962; MBE; married 1991 Simone Curtice (marriage dissolved), partner to Suzanne Taylor (one daughter), married 2009 Lorraine Downes (two stepchildren); died Auckland 3 March 2016.