The legacy of Chris Cairns

[flibbertyjibber]

99 world cup v Australia stands out for me. NZ in trouble in low scoring match and he shared a matchwinning stand with Roger Twose and even stuck Warne in the river.

 

[Gowza]

terrific allrounder, destructive with both bat and ball on his day, unfortunate that injuries shortened his career.

 

[Agent Nationaux]

Always admired the man and I don't believe that he is a cheat.

 

[sledger]

Be like Azharuddin if true, you will forget the great cricket and remember the shady side.

Quite right too, as far as I'm concerned. (If the allegations are proven that is).

 

[jcas0167]

My two enduring memories of Cairns are:
The 80 odd he got against England in 1999 in a very low scoring match. Such a great innings, really underrated

That six he hit off Warne. Haven't ever seen a straight drive over square leg before or since.

These are two of my main memories of him also. NZ were looking likely to lose that test and the series. Cairns came out and just kept hitting Tufnell into the pavillion. Given the stakes, it was an extraordinary innings and ultimately won NZ the series.

That and the 2000 series where he hit Warne for six over square leg was Cairns at the peak of his powers, a mature cricketer who responded to the guidance of DJ Graham and Steve Rixon. Another highlight from that 2000 series was at the Basin Reserve when Brett Lee was charging in and Cairns hit him straight back over his head for six. Apparently Mark Waugh turned to the other slip fielders and remarked "that's the best shot I've seen in 10 years".

I remember when he retired from test cricket he'd broken Viv Richards record for the most sixes. Like his dad he seemed to have this unique hitting power.

I thought this piece was quite good at reconciling Cairns' legacy as a cricketing hero and as a possible villain with the match fixing allegations.

Chris Cairns: Hero AND Villain? ? The Niche Cache

 

[SteveNZ]

I remember when he retired from test cricket he'd broken Viv Richards record for the most sixes. Like his dad he seemed to have this unique hitting power.

I was there the day he broke that record - at Lord's in 2004. Absolutely incredible hitting.

I've made my views very clear that I think he's Lance Armstrong with a cricket bat.

But he was at the forefront of some of the magnificent NZ cricket memories like the Champs Trophy victory, debuted (?) in Greatbatch's 1989 Perth heroics, bowled Gavin Larsen coming back in a Shell Cup final batting one handed, the VB Series, 1999 v England and others mentioned. He still made cricket bloody enjoyable to watch.

So to me, if he's found guilty it'll be a legacy of a ego-driven human being who struggled to adapt to life after a hellishly entertaining career. Still makes him a bad person if that's the case but the memories remain - especially as we presume he was not fixing at any stage through his international career.

 

[The Hutt Rec]

Absolutely awful news, and it says he hasn't responded to treatment as hoped ... which does not sound good at all.

I don't care what anyone says, for the sake of a few meaningless t20s in a mickey mouse comp ... he'll always be a legend of NZ cricket to me.

Cricket: Blackcaps great Chris Cairns on life support following medical event in Canberra

The 51-year-old has being transferred to a Sydney hospital.

www.newshub.co.nz

 

[Immenso]

I don't care about Mickey mouse unsanctioned T20 comos either but he didn't stop there . Allegedly.

Terrible person.

I won't forgive him.

 

[OverratedSanity]

That sounds horrible, hope he recovers but the articles make it sound bleak.

 

[Bahnz]

That and the 2000 series where he hit Warne for six over square leg was Cairns at the peak of his powers, a mature cricketer who responded to the guidance of DJ Graham and Steve Rixon. Another highlight from that 2000 series was at the Basin Reserve when Brett Lee was charging in and Cairns hit him straight back over his head for six. Apparently Mark Waugh turned to the other slip fielders and remarked "that's the best shot I've seen in 10 years".

I remember when he retired from test cricket he'd broken Viv Richards record for the most sixes. Like his dad he seemed to have this unique hitting power.

I thought this piece was quite good at reconciling Cairns' legacy as a cricketing hero and as a possible villain with the match fixing allegations.

Chris Cairns: Hero AND Villain? ? The Niche Cache

I remember someone (maybe Doull) saying in commentary that Brett Lee admitted to being genuinely frightened by how hard Cairns was hitting the ball that day. Lifted NZ up from 60/5 or something like it to 280 odd. At that point in his career he really made both disciplines look absurdly easy. Definitely underachieved throughout his career, but always had that Botham-esque quality where when the force was with him anything felt possible. Like McCullum, if McCullum was 6'4" and could bowl at 140kmh.

All of which made it so heart breaking when the allegations of his match-fixing (and particularly the way he treated Lou Vincent) so heart breaking. Having said that, this is devastating news. Hope he pulls through.

 

[SteveNZ]

I don't care about Mickey mouse unsanctioned T20 comos either but he didn't stop there . Allegedly.

Terrible person.

I won't forgive him.

Not sure now is the time. I get what you're saying but surely the entirety of the message at the minute is 'hope he pulls through'?

 

[TheJediBrah]

I remember someone (maybe Doull) saying in commentary that Brett Lee admitted to being genuinely frightened by how hard Cairns was hitting the ball that day. Lifted NZ up from 60/5 or something like it to 280 odd. At that point in his career he really made both disciplines look absurdly easy. Definitely underachieved throughout his career, but always had that Botham-esque quality where when the force was with him anything felt possible. Like McCullum, if McCullum was 6'4" and could bowl at 140kmh.

All of which made it so heart breaking when the allegations of his match-fixing (and particularly the way he treated Lou Vincent) so heart breaking. Having said that, this is devastating news. Hope he pulls through.

Pretty great player tbh. Very handsome bloke too. Always been a fan

 

[social]

Very sad news

One of my good mates lived in the same apartment complex as him in Dubai and we spent a bit of time together

I have no idea whether he did anything but can tell you that he was nothing but good company and never asked us for a thing

He was dealing with multiple lawsuits and a marriage breakdown at the time

 

[M0rphin3]

Not sure now is the time. I get what you're saying but surely the entirety of the message at the minute is 'hope he pulls through'?

Yeah awta. Hope he pulls through, absolutely enjoyed watching him play regardless of all the other stuff.

 

[karan_fromthestands]

Very sad news

One of my good mates lived in the same apartment complex as him in Dubai and we spent a bit of time together

I have no idea whether he did anything but can tell you that he was nothing but good company and never asked us for a thing

He was dealing with multiple lawsuits and a marriage breakdown at the time

Really sad how things just spiralled down for him. I hope he recovers.

 

[mr_mister]

Sad news. Don't think he's recovering from this.

 

[Flem274*]

what's ****ed up is lance cairns might outlive both of his children

 

[M0rphin3]

God the bopping of Warne here. Can think of a ton of other underrated knocks too.

 

[sunilz]

Very sad news. Still can't forget his century against us in CT 2000 Final.

 

[JBMAC]

Not even close to being an ATG . He was far below the cricketer as his Father was. Probably Lance Cairns could be considered as one of greatest cricketers New Zealand has ever had.