WELLINGTON: Former New Zealand test batsman Martin Crowe says he is considering a return to first-class cricket at the age of 48.

Crowe first signalled his intention in a Twitter post on Thursday, saying he needs just three matches to reach 250 first-class games and 492 runs for 20,000 first-class runs.

In an interview with the New Zealand Herald on Friday, Crowe said he was seriously considering a comeback, 15 years after a serious knee injury forced him into retirement.

Playing 250 first-class games “was always a goal I wanted and it was only a couple of games away when I retired,” he said.

Crowe told the Herald he needed a challenge to keep fit at 48 and was encouraged by a friend to consider a cricket comeback. He was also motivated by the achievements of former New Zealand teammates Adam Parore, who had been mountaineering in the Himalayas, and Mark Richardson, who recently ran four marathons.

“So I wrote it down on Twitter. If I feel good come September and I get a game or two somewhere, who knows?” Crowe said.

He said he was free of the injuries which had forced his retirement, ending a career in which he made 17 test centuries, and had never lost his love of the game.

“All I'd say is there is always an urge to bat in a four-day game,” Crowe said. “You look at the pitch and the nice sunny afternoons and that just used to be the best thing in the world _ to be in your own little cocoon just playing the ball.

“I loved it. It was my favorite pastime, to just bat in a first-class game.

“That's always an urge but ... I haven't been fit enough for a long time. It's all right batting for 10 minutes and maybe even batting well, but can I do it for three or four hours?”

Crowe will attempt to play for Auckland province in New Zealand's domestic first-class competition but said Auckland would probably prefer to promote younger players. But Auckland coach Paul Strang said he would welcome Crowe's return.

“If he is serious about jumping through the hoops required _ from getting fit to club cricket and onwards _ then there's no doubting he has the base talent,” Strang said.

He said “the physical demands of modern cricket would be the hardest thing he would have to get used to.”