Bernard Lance Cairns (born October 10, 1949 in
Picton, New ZealandPicton is a town in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It is near the head of Queen Charlotte Sound near the north-east corner of the South Island. The population was 2928 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 72 from 2001...
) is a former
all-rounderAn all-rounder is a cricket player who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
who played for the
New Zealand cricket teamThe New Zealand cricket team, also known as the Black Caps or BLACKCAPS, played their first Test in 1929–30 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth Test nation. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the West Indies at Eden Park in Auckland. They played their...
, and is the father of New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns.
He was a member of both the
one-dayLimited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
and
TestTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. It is generally considered the ultimate test of playing ability in the sport.The name "Test" may have arisen from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength and competency" between the sides involved...
New Zealand teams between 1974 and 1985. He also appeared for Central Districts,
Northern DistrictsThe Northern Districts Knights are one of six New Zealand first class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.It is based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand...
and
OtagoThe Otago Volts are a first class cricket team representing the Otago Cricket Association, one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket....
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.
New Zealand were favourites coming into the finals of the
World Series CupThe World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...
, a tournament heavily hyped as a chance for New Zealand to gain 'revenge' after the 'underarm' incident in 1980/81.
Bernard Lance Cairns (born October 10, 1949 in
Picton, New ZealandPicton is a town in the Marlborough region of New Zealand. It is near the head of Queen Charlotte Sound near the north-east corner of the South Island. The population was 2928 in the 2006 Census, a decrease of 72 from 2001...
) is a former
all-rounderAn all-rounder is a cricket player who regularly performs well at both batting and bowling. Although all bowlers must bat and quite a few batsmen do bowl occasionally, most players are skilled in only one of the two disciplines and are considered specialists...
who played for the
New Zealand cricket teamThe New Zealand cricket team, also known as the Black Caps or BLACKCAPS, played their first Test in 1929–30 against England in Christchurch, New Zealand, becoming the fifth Test nation. It took the team until 1955–56 to win a Test, against the West Indies at Eden Park in Auckland. They played their...
, and is the father of New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns.
He was a member of both the
one-dayLimited overs cricket, also known as one-day cricket and in a slightly different context as List A cricket, is a version of the sport of cricket in which a match is generally completed in one day, whereas Test and first-class matches can take up to five days to complete...
and
TestTest cricket is the longest form of the sport of cricket. It is generally considered the ultimate test of playing ability in the sport.The name "Test" may have arisen from the idea that the matches are a "test of strength and competency" between the sides involved...
New Zealand teams between 1974 and 1985. He also appeared for Central Districts,
Northern DistrictsThe Northern Districts Knights are one of six New Zealand first class cricket teams that make up New Zealand Cricket.It is based in the northern half of the North Island of New Zealand...
and
OtagoThe Otago Volts are a first class cricket team representing the Otago Cricket Association, one of six major associations that make up New Zealand Cricket....
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.
6 sixes off 10 balls and the 1982-83 season
New Zealand were favourites coming into the finals of the
World Series CupThe World Series Cup was the name of the One Day International cricket tournament that took place in Australia every season between Australia and two touring teams from 1979-80 to 1995-96. The tournament was renamed the World Series from 1990-1. This was the very first of the One Day International ...
, a tournament heavily hyped as a chance for New Zealand to gain 'revenge' after the 'underarm' incident in 1980/81. The 1982/83 series saw New Zealand achieve 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
AdelaideAdelaide Oval is a sports ground in Adelaide, South Australia. It is located in the parklands between the city centre and North Adelaide and has a history which dates back to the 1870s. It is considered to be one of the most picturesque Test cricket grounds in Australia, if not the world...
, 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 off 24 balls, which included three sixes off the hapless English spinners. However, it took a match-winning seventh-wicket partnership of 121 by
Jeremy ConeyJeremy Vernon Coney MBE was a New Zealand cricketer, who played 52 Test matches and 88 ODIs for New Zealand, captaining them in 15 Tests and 25 ODIs...
(47 not out) and 'Man of the Match'
Richard HadleeSir Richard John Hadlee, MBE is a former New Zealand cricketer who played provincial cricket for Canterbury, Nottinghamshire and Tasmania. He is the son of Walter Hadlee, and the brother of Dayle and Barry Hadlee. His former wife Karen also played international cricket for New Zealand.Hadlee was...
(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
SydneyThe Sydney Cricket Ground is a sports stadium in Sydney. It is used for Test cricket, One Day International cricket, some rugby league and rugby union matches, and is the home ground for the New South Wales Blues cricket team and the Sydney Swans of the Australian Football League...
, New Zealand went to the
MCGJoseph McGinty Nichol , better known as McG, is an American director and producer of film and television, as well as a former record producer. He began his career in the music industry, directing music videos and producing various albums...
one-nil down in the best of three finals series. Without the injured Hadlee (who missed both Finals), New Zealand had collapsed, beaten and demoralised, at 44-6, chasing Australia's score of 302-8.
Dennis LilleeDennis Keith Lillee, MBE is a former Australian cricketer rated as the "outstanding fast bowler of his generation"...
, who had just waved off New Zealand's last recognised batsman, awaited the arrival of Cairns.
Lillee's first ball was a bouncer that hit Cairns on the head. The batsman's response was to hit two sixes in three balls off
Ken MacLeayKenneth Hervey MacLeay is a former English born Australian cricketer.He was a all-rounder who played 16 One Day Internationals for Australia between 1983 and 1987...
, before hitting two consecutive sixes off
Rodney HoggRodney Malcolm Hogg is a former Victorian, South Australian and Australian cricketer. He was a fast bowler. Hogg played in 38 Tests and 71 ODIs between 1978 and 1985. In Tests he took 123 wickets at an average of 28.47....
, and in the next over, doing the same to Lillee. The highlight was undoubtedly a one-handed shot off Lillee, which soared over the fine leg fence. Cairns' dismissal was an anti-climax; out for 52, offering a simple catch to
Steve SmithSteven "Steve" Barry Smith is a former Australian and New South Wales cricketer. He played in three Tests and 28 One Day International matches between 1983 and 1985....
at cover off the bowling of
Geoff LawsonGeoffrey Francis Lawson, OAM is a former Australian cricketer and the former coach of the Pakistan cricket team. Nicknamed "Henry" after the Australian poet, Lawson was a fast bowler for New South Wales and Australia. He first played for NSW in 1977–78, made his international debut in...
.
"He backs off again and thrashes that one! And that's cleared
Graeme WoodGraeme Malcolm Wood is a former Australian cricketer who played in 59 Tests and 83 ODIs from 1978 to 1989. He scored nine Test centuries in his career and it was a West Australian record until 2001-02 when it was passed by Justin Langer.His Test debut came against India as a 21-year-old in 1978...
'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 CrafterAnthony Ronald Crafter, , was an Australian Test cricket match umpire.He umpired 33 Test matches between 1979 and 1992, the highest number by an Australian umpire to that time...
's arms are growing heavy, he's been putting them above his head so often he's getting tired!"
-
TCN NineThe Nine Network, or Channel Nine, is an Australian television network based in Willoughby, a suburb on the North Shore of Sydney. For nearly 40 years between 1956 and 2005, it was the most watched television network in Australia...
commentators
Ian ChappellIan Michael Chappell is a former cricketer who played for South Australia and Australia. He captained Australia between 1971 and 1975 before taking a central role in the breakaway World Series Cricket organisation...
and
Frank Tyson Frank Holmes Tyson is a former England cricketer of the 1950s who became a journalist and cricket commentator after he emigrated to Australia in 1960. Nicknamed "Typhoon Tyson" he is one of the fastest bowlers ever seen in cricket. He played 17 Test matches, taking 76 wickets at an outstanding...
, 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 a spectacular 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'.
Nevertheless, the New Zealand team, and Cairns in particular, received unprecedented adulation when they returned home for a three-match series against England, who had lost
the AshesThe Ashes is a Test cricket series played between England and Australia. It is one of international cricket's most celebrated rivalries and dates back to 1882. It is currently played biennially, alternately in the United Kingdom and Australia. Since cricket is a summer game, the venues being in...
2-1 and had failed to make the WSC Finals in their recently completed Australian tour. England were desperate to salvage something from their tour down under and 'The Rothmans Cup' was the last prize on offer.
New Zealand whitewashed the hapless 'Poms', winning with three memorable performances to sold out crowds in
AucklandEden Park is the biggest sports ground in Auckland, New Zealand for both rugby union during winter, and cricket in summer . To accommodate both sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
,
WellingtonThe Basin Reserve , is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand, used for Test, first-class and one-day cricket. Some argue that its proximity to the city, its Historic Place status and its age make it the most famous cricket ground in New Zealand. The Basin Reserve is the only cricket ground in...
and Christchurch. Cairns was again the star. He hit sixes in all three games, with one of them leaving Wellington's Basin Reserve and ending up in a busy street outside the ground.
Cairns' career
In a domestic match, for
OtagoOtago is a region of New Zealand in the south of the South Island. It has an area of approximately making it the country's second largest region. It has a population of...
v
WellingtonWellington is the capital of New Zealand, at the southwestern tip of the North Island between Cook Strait and the Rimutaka Range. The Wellington urban area is the major population centre of the southern North Island and is New Zealand's third most populous urban area with residents. There are ...
, he hit 110, his only first-class 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
HeadingleyHeadingley is an inner suburb of Leeds in West Yorkshire, England. It is approximately two miles out of the city centre, to the north west along the A660 road...
in 1983.
In the 1983/84 home series against England Cairns took his best test figures of 7-143 off 45 overs in the first test at the
Basin ReserveThe Basin Reserve , is a cricket ground in Wellington, New Zealand, used for Test, first-class and one-day cricket. Some argue that its proximity to the city, its Historic Place status and its age make it the most famous cricket ground in New Zealand. The Basin Reserve is the only cricket ground in...
, Wellington. After New Zealand's modest first innings total of 219, Cairns took the first five English wickets with only 115 on the board, which put the homeside in a strong position on day two. However, a spectacular sixth wicket, 232 run, partnership between
Ian BothamSir Ian Terence Botham, OBE is a former England Test cricketer and Test team captain, and current cricket commentator...
(138) and
Derek RandallDerek William Randall is a former cricketer who played first-class cricket for Nottinghamshire and England in the late 1970s and early 1980s...
(164) put the visitors in command on day three with New Zealand facing a tough battle over the remaining two days to save the test.
At 402-8, only 158 runs ahead of England early on day five, defeat for New Zealand seemed likely when Cairns joined
Jeremy ConeyJeremy Vernon Coney MBE was a New Zealand cricketer, who played 52 Test matches and 88 ODIs for New Zealand, captaining them in 15 Tests and 25 ODIs...
(174*) at the wicket. In perhaps Cairns' finest test innings, (64), he shared a record ninth wicket partnership of 218 with Coney who went on to score his long awaited, maiden test century. Cairns, although hitting 10 fours and a six, played a rearguard innings best remembered for its uncharacteristic grit and controlled determination, which helped New Zealand achieve a famous draw against the odds.
The New Zealand total of 537 was a record against England and it set the foundation for an emphatic second test win by an innings and 132 runs at Lancaster Park, Christchurch, where the visitors failed to reach 100 in either innings. After a drawn third test at
Eden ParkEden Park is the biggest sports ground in Auckland, New Zealand for both rugby union during winter, and cricket in summer . To accommodate both sports, the cricket pitch is removable...
, Auckland, New Zealand achieved its first test series win over England.
Cairns suffered a horrific injury when he came out to bat without a helmet against Pakistan in the Third Test in
DunedinDunedin , , is the second-largest city in the South Island of New Zealand, and the principal city of the region of Otago. It has the largest council boundary area of any New Zealand city, and is the hub of the fifth-largest urban area...
in 1984/85. He was felled by a sickening blow to the back of the head from 19 year old paceman
Wasim AkramWasim Akram is a World Cup Winning former Pakistani cricketer. He was a left-arm fast bowler and left-handed batsman, who represented the Pakistani cricket team in Tests and One Day Internationals....
. After retiring hurt, Cairns was hospitalised with a suspected hairline fracture of the skull and complained of 'dizzy spells' for months afterwards. In testament to his courage, Cairns was 'padded up', this time with a helmet, ready to return to the crease, as New Zealand fought another famous rearguard action to win the test and series. History showed he was not required as Jeremy Coney (111*), this time supported by number eleven
Ewen ChatfieldEwen John Chatfield is a former cricketer who played 43 Tests and 114 One Day Internationals for New Zealand. A medium-pace bowler, his chief weapon was his accuracy, giving him economical bowling figures, although he occasionally would come in for punishment in the late stages of limited overs...
(21*), took New Zealand to victory by two wickets.
Cairns recovered to play in the World Championship of Cricket in Sydney and Melbourne in February 1985. A highlight for Cairns was his fine innings against eventual champions India in the semi-final at the SCG (39 out of a total of 206, but with no sixes). In March he left for his last major tour as a frontline player for New Zealand, a harrowing trip to the West Indies where New Zealand lost heavily against the often brutal fast bowling of the homeside. Cairns played in only the first two tests of the four test series taking only five wickets at an average of 63.00. At aged 36 his decline as an international player seemed inevitable.
His final series for New Zealand was a personal anti-climax for this immensely popular cricketer. The historic 1985/86 test series win in Australia saw Cairns play only in the deciding third test in Perth. He failed to take a wicket, nor score a run, in this, his final international game. Despite Cairns' disappointment, New Zealand won by six wickets to take the series 2-1, and it was fitting, considering his unselfish service to New Zealand cricket since 1974, that Cairns was part of this 'ultimate' triumph.
Still a sentimental crowd favourite, he was nevertheless left out of the New Zealand World Series Cup squad which returned to Australia in January, 1986. This unpopular decision, albeit inevitable due to injury and loss of form, spelled the end of his international career. Like long standing captain
Geoff HowarthGeoffrey Philip Howarth is a former New Zealand cricketer, who remains the only New Zealand captain to have positive win-loss records in both Test cricket and ODI cricket. Howarth played some Test cricket with his elder brother, Hedley Howarth, but most of his 47-Test career did not overlap with...
at the beginning of the summer, Cairns was forced into retirement, and somewhat controversially denied the dignity of choosing his own 'time to go'.
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 killed when a truck hit the train she was travelling in. He was the subject of an episode of the TVNZ production 'This is your life' in (1999????) which was presented by
Paul Holmes* Paul Holmes , New Zealand radio and television broadcaster* Paul Holmes , British politician* Paul Holmes , American priest and academic* Paul Holmes , English footballer...
. He has a grandson, Thomas, child of son Chris and his partner Carin.
External links
- Lance Cairns Cricinfo Statistics
- Lance Cairns - 6 sixes in 10 balls - Veoh
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Xp-aOr8LO0 Six over cover - First Final 1983
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ABVP4zvpMFw Six sixes - Second Final 1983 Part 1
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73Fg5Uvo-ME&feature=related - Six sixes Part 2
- http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1982-83/OD_TOURNEYS/WSC/
- http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1982-83/OD_TOURNEYS/WSC/ENG_NZ_WSC_ODI11_29JAN1983.html
- http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1982-83/OD_TOURNEYS/WSC/AUS_NZ_WSC_ODI-FINAL2_13FEB1983.html
- http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1982-83/ENG_IN_NZ/
- http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1983-84/ENG_IN_NZ/
- http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1984-85/PAK_IN_NZ/
- http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1984-85/OD_TOURNEYS/WCC/NZ_IND_WCC_ODI-SEMI1_05MAR1985.html
- http://www.cricinfo.com/db/ARCHIVE/1980S/1985-86/NZ_IN_AUS/