Cairns confirms retirement from Black Caps

Black Cap Chris Cairns today confirmed his retirement from the one-day game. 

New Zealand Cricket (NZC) announced that Cairns, 35, will hang up his boots following the Twenty20 match against the West Indies in Auckland on February 16.  

"I feel that the time is right for me to retire from international cricket," Cairns said at a news conference in Christchurch today.  

"I still enjoy playing for the Black Caps and want to leave at a time when that enjoyment has not diminished and when I feel that I am still performing at the top level and contributing to the success of the team.  

"I now have other commitments in my life and want to focus on family and business.  

"I am looking forward to the Twenty20 match, which I believe will be a great way to finish my international career at home in front of a New Zealand audience.  

Arguably one of New Zealand's greatest allrounders, Cairns played 215 matches taking 201 wickets at 32.80 and was just 50 runs short of reaching 5000 runs.  

He averaged 29.46 with the bat and would have been just the third player in history behind Sri Lanka's Sanath Jayasuriya and South African Jacques Kallis to have reached the milestone. Cairns retired from test cricket in 2004 having scored 3320 runs at 33.53 and taken 218 wickets at 29.40.  

He will complete the provincial one-day season for Canterbury and will play league cricket in England this year while concentrating on business opportunities.  

Cairns was axed from the tour to South Africa late last year but responded to the setback by getting back into shape and regaining his place on merit.  

The son of big-hitting former international Lance Cairns, he went on to be one of the game's great entertainers, mixing powerful batting feats with some exceptional right-arm fast-medium bowling spells.  

Cairns' statistics could have been more impressive were his career not been so blighted by injury. 

Black Caps coach John Bracewell said Cairns will be missed.  

"He is very much the elder statesman within the team and plays an important role in mentoring players.  

"He has shown great commitment in returning to full fitness this season and I believe that he had the ability to push towards the World Cup, if that is what he desired."

 - NZPA