Lance Cairns

Infobox Cricketer


nationality = New Zealand
country = New Zealand
country abbrev = NZ
name = Lance Cairns
picture = Cricket_no_pic.pngbatting style = Right-hand bat
bowling style = Right-arm medium-fast
balls = true
tests = 43
test runs = 928
test bat avg = 16.28
test 100s/50s = 0/2
test top score = 64
test overs = 10628
test wickets = 130
test bowl avg = 32.92
test 5s = 6
test 10s = 1
test best bowling = 7/74
test catches/stumpings = 30/-
ODIs = 78
ODI runs = 987
ODI bat avg = 16.72
ODI 100s/50s = 0/2
ODI top score = 60
ODI overs = 4015
ODI wickets = 89
ODI bowl avg = 30.52
ODI 5s = 1
ODI 10s = 0
ODI best bowling = 5/28
ODI catches/stumpings = 19/-
date = 4 February
year = 2006
source = http://content-aus.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/36595.html Cricinfo

Bernard Lance Cairns (born October 10, 1949 in Picton, New Zealand) is a former all-rounder who played for the New Zealand cricket team, and is the father of New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns.

He was a member of both the one-day and Test New Zealand teams between 1974 and 1985. He also appeared for Central Districts, Northern Counties and Otago in New Zealand domestic Cricket. He was also the professional for Bishop Auckland in the North Yorkshire and South Durham league in the North East of England.

Lance Cairns was, and still is, a mythical figure in New Zealand cricket, a crowd favourite who could, and invariably would, hit sixes to all parts of the ground, much to the delight of the watching hordes. His most famous moment was his legendary six sixes against Australia, in the Second Final of the Benson and Hedges World Series Cup (WSC) on February 13, 1983, in front of a near record 71,000 spectators.

New Zealand were favourites coming into the finals series after an impressive run of victories in the ten match qualifying round with Australia and England. This included three consecutive wins over Australia and a famous match in Adelaide, where two world records were broken on the same day. New Zealand scored a world record 297-6, in beating England's 296-5. Cairns set the scene for a dramatic run chase with a brutal 49, which included three sixes off the hapless English spinners. However, it took a match winning seventh- wicket partnership of 121 by Jeremy Coney (47 n.o) and 'Man of the Match' Richard Hadlee (79), to bring New Zealand home for an 'impossible' victory, watched by nearly 1.5 million Kiwis on television, almost half the population and a record for a sporting telecast at the time.

After a rain-affected First Final in Sydney, New Zealand entered the intimidating cauldron of the MCG one-nil down in the best of three finals series. Without their star allrounder, the inspirational, but now sadly, injured Richard Hadlee (who missed both Finals), New Zealand had collapsed, beaten and demoralised, at 44-6, chasing Australia's then record one day international score of 302-8. Dennis Lillee, who had just waved off New Zealand's last recoqnised batsman, eagerly awaited the arrival of Cairns, who entered the arena for his 'springboard' into superstardom.

After Lillee hit Cairns in the head with a brutal bouncer first ball, the big crowd's urge to cheer on 'Big Lance' grew with each delivery. With his first six, a monstrous hit over the distant square leg boundary off Ken Macleay, Cairns was on his way into sporting folklore.

In an unforgettable innings, he hit two sixes in three balls off Macleay, before hitting two consecutive sixes off Rodney Hogg, and in the next over, doing the same to Dennis Lillee. The highlight was undoubtedly an astonishing one handed shot off Lillee, whiched soared effortlessly over the fine leg fence, much to the delight of the crowd and the chagrin of the great Australian.

At his peak, Cairns had reached 38 runs off 13 balls, including six sixes and a four. He was finally out for 52, offering an anti-climactic, simple catch to Steven Smith at cover off the bowling of Geoff Lawson. As he left the ground, to an enormous ovation, it was clear to both the big crowd at the MCG, and the millions watching on television, that they had witnessed something special, the likes of which would probably not be seen again.

"He backs off again and thrashes that one! And that's cleared Graeme Wood's head at mid-off! That's the sixth one! That must be an incredible bat he's got! It must be made of extremely good English willow.

"Very heavy English willow! And there goes Excalibur into action again! Straight over the top of long-off, one of the most difficult shots in the book and umpire Tony Crafter's arms are growing heavy, he's been putting them above his head so often he's getting tired!" - TCN Nine commentators Ian Chappell and Frank Tyson, Feb 13 1983.

New Zealand eventually lost the match by 149 runs, and the Finals series 2-0, to an Australian team that had been markedly inferior in the preceding qualifying stages of the competition.

Despite Cairns' heroics (he also hit an incredible six over cover off Lawson in the First Final at the SCG) Richard Hadlee's absence from both finals was probably the reason for New Zealand's 'shattered dream'.

The finals were a bitter disappointment to the team and the New Zealand public, who had watched the matches on television in record numbers in an era of exploding popularity for the game, on both sides of the Tasman. This was due to the promotion of one day cricket, driven by the 'Packer revolution', which transformed the game into an entertainment 'tour de force'.

The infamous 'underarm' delivery, which ensured an Australian victory in the 'deciding' Third Final of the 1980/81 WSC competition, added to the Kiwis motivation to beat the Australians in their rematch: the 1982/83 WSC. However, it was not to be. Nevertheless, the New Zealand team, and Cairns in particular, received unprecedented adulation, fit for heroes, when they returned home for a three match series against England, who had lost the Ashes 2-1 and had failed to make the WSC Finals in their recently completed Australian tour. England were desperate to salvage something from thier tour downunder and 'The Rothmans Cup' was the last prize on offer.

New Zealand whitewashed the hapless 'Poms', winning with three memorable performances to sold out and frenzied crowds in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Lance Cairns, walking out to the wicket to a reception surely never seen before for an individual cricketer in New Zealand, was again the star. Sticking to the script, he hit sixes in all three games, with one of them actually leaving Wellington's Basin Reserve and ending up in a busy street outside the ground!

New Zealand cricket, in arguably its most memorable era, had a true folk hero. It is perhaps a side note, much to the concern of Cairns himself, that this former freezing worker, was primarily in the side as a bowler.

In a domestic match, for Otago v Wellington, he hit 110, his only century, in 51 balls hitting 9 sixes in an hour. He scored 928 Test Match and 987 ODI runs at more than a run a ball.

He was also known for the unusual bat he wielded throughout much of his career. Known as "Excalibur", the shoulders of the bat were planed down to form a conical rather than rectangular shape.

Cairns was a swing bowler with an unorthodox 'front on' action. He took 130 Test Match wickets and 89 ODI wickets. He took ten wickets in New Zealand's first ever win on English soil, at Headingley in 1983.

Cairns, almost fatally, came out to bat against Pakistan in the Third Test in Dunedin in 1984/85 without a helmet. He consequently received a sickening blow to the back of the head from 19 year old paceman Wasim Akram. Cairns was hospitalised and complained of 'dizzy spells' for months afterward. It is of some consolation that number 11 batsman, Ewen Chatfield, followed Cairns to the crease and shared in a record tenth-wicket series winning partnership with Jeremy Coney.

Cairns went on to play in the World Championship of Cricket in Sydney and Melbourne in Feb' 85. He bowled well and played a fine innings against eventual champions India in the semi-final at the SCG (39 out of a total of 206 - but he kept the ball along the ground!) before he embarked on his last major tour with New Zealand, a harrowing trip to the West Indies. In a 2-0 test series, and 4-0 one day series loss, to the then masters of international cricket, Cairns performed to his usual high standard.

His final series for New Zealand was a personal anti-climax for this immensely popular cricketer. The 1985/86 tour to Australia was a historic one for New Zealand. It was a personal triumph for Richard Hadlee, who took an amazing 33 wickets in the three test series, won 2-1 by New Zealand, their first series win over Australia, the old foe.

Cairns only played in the deciding third test in Perth, where he failed to take a wicket, nor score a run, in his final game for New Zealand. The big man, with the even bigger heart, deserved so much better than this ignimonius exit, but with New Zealand winning in style, surely this was enough for a man who always seemed to put the collective fortunes of his team ahead of any quest for personal glory?

Following his retirement from cricket, Cairns concentrated on his golf skills and became a low-handicap golfer known for his extremely long drives. He represented Poverty Bay-East Coast at New Zealand Masters tournaments.

Lance Cairns is married to Sue. In 1993 their daughter Louise was tragically killed when a truck hit the train she was travelling in. They have a grandson, Thomas, child of son Chris and his partner Carin.

External links

* [http://content.cricinfo.com/ci/content/player/36595.html Lance Cairns Cricinfo Statistics]
* [http://www.veoh.com/videos/v414983DgXWD3NC Lance Cairns - 6 sixes in 10 balls - Veoh]