New Zealand cricket great Martin Crowe is taking a softly-softly approach to his club comeback by starting off in the Cornwall reserve grade side tomorrow.

The 49-year-old Crowe will captain Cornwall against Papatoetoe at the Papatoetoe ground in a match starting at 11am.

Crowe is content with that for the moment as he works his way back from a few training niggles.

He hopes to step up to the Cornwall first team by the end of the month and push on with his challenge of seeing if he's good enough to make a first class comeback for Auckland.

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"It's not quite four months ago since I decided on this, so I'm comfortable with where things are at," Crowe said, after passing a fitness test on a groin niggle.

Crowe has had regular nets over that period and said he was seeing the ball well and his footwork was good.

He's also just thrilled to be mobile, having hardly run since a knee injury forced him to retire from the game in 1995 after 77 tests and 143 one-day internationals and a reputation as being New Zealand's finest batsman.

He puts that reputation on the line tomorrow in the most unlikely surroundings and will also have to contend with Auckland's notorious early-season grass wickets. But he has a bit of recent form under his belt.

Crowe played a charity match in Australia last month. He scored a half century amidst some illustrious company that included West Indian Carl Hooper, England's Adam Hollioake, South African Herchelle Gibbs and Australians Darren Lehmann, Adam Gilchrist, Stuart Clark, Merv Hughes, Andy Bichel, Wayne Holdsworth and Australian female representative Alyssa Healy.

Crowe believes he has the potential to play the four-day game for Auckland, feeling he has the ability to occupy the crease.

He will bat at No 3 for Cornwall.