Crowe in an emotional article for ESPNCricinfo termed Ross Taylor and Martin Guptill as the "two sons I never had" and wrote "my precarious life ahead may not afford me the luxury of many more games to watch and enjoy, so this (World Cup final at the MCG) is likely to be it, the last ... I can happily live with that".
Asked about that particular piece written by Crowe, McCullum said, "I read that article. I think he's a fantastic writer. I think what he's going through at the moment is incredibly difficult. We had him involved in the group, and not long ago as well we came and spent time with the team and it was great."
"He seems to have really found peace with himself and the game as well, and he's been instrumental in helping some of our guys on the team peel back their games and really focus on being able to develop individually but also buy into the team collectively. So he's been a really big asset, and there are many guys as well who have assisted guys individually which has helped the team collectively," said McCullum.
"So, it was really sad what he's going through, and we just hope that he's able to find some peace in the time that he's got left," he said.