Cricket: Cairns blasts form doubts

By RICHARD BOOCK

Any lingering doubts about Chris Cairns were dispelled in the space of one dramatic afternoon's cricket at the weekend, his barn-storming 158 not only giving New Zealand the whip-hand in the second test, but also bringing up the first half of his long-awaited double.

Having watched Scott Styris' monumental contribution end on Saturday morning, the veteran all-rounder unleashed one of his most destructive innings to pile even more ignominy on the tourists, and stretch New Zealand's lead to the unassailable stage.

His incandescent hand was so influential that it virtually sidelined the efforts of Jacob Oram and Craig McMillan, who acted as the glue through the second half of what became New Zealand's highest innings total against South Africa, their highest at Eden Park, and their third-highest in history.

The 33-year-old attacked the South Africans as soon as he arrived at the crease, blasting his 50 off just 41 balls before settling to lead his team to a position of dominance; his fifth test 100 arriving off 112 balls.

Cairns brought up the first half of his 3000 run-200 wicket double when he reached 108, and now requires only one more wicket to share the company of immortal all-rounders Gary Sobers, Imran Khan, Richard Hadlee, Kapil Dev and Ian Botham.

On a pitch containing few fears, Cairns drove imperiously and eventually unfurled his full array of shots, smashing 18 fours and seven sixes as the opposition bowling and fielding began to flag.

He now ranks second in the world in terms of sixes hit in a career, his 79 trailing only the Master Blaster himself West Indian dangerman Viv Richards, who struck 84.

The sting in the tail of Cairns' innings was most evident after the afternoon tea break, when he gave the South Africans a memorable mauling, and achieved the rare feat of scoring 100 runs in the session.

Sandwiched between Styris' match-turning 170 and Cairns' pyrotechnics at the end, Craig McMillan and Jacob Oram played superbly to feature in two critical partnerships for New Zealand and help to ensure the lead was a substantial one.

McMillan, who became the eighth New Zealander to score 3000 test runs during his 82, shared in a 148-run stand for the fourth wicket with Styris, the partnership carrying New Zealand from 137 for three through to 285. And Oram's 90 was another sign of the big all-rounder's progress this season, the knock following on from his unbeaten 119 in the first test, and providing little respite for the South African bowlers once they got Cairns off strike.

New Zealand's two premier all-rounders took the game away from the opposition with a seventh wicket stand of 225, a record for New Zealand against all comers, eclipsing the 186 scored by Warren Lees and Richard Hadlee at Karachi in 1976-77.

Cairns' 158 was also the highest individual score posted by a New Zealand No 7, surpassing the 152 scored by Lees at Karachi.

However it had to take a back seat to Styris' 170 when it came to the list of top individual scores against South Africa.

THE RUN MACHINES

Highest scores by New Zealanders at Eden Park

* 173 Ian Smith, v India, 1989-90

* 170* Andrew Jones, v India, 1989-90

* 170 Scott Styris v South Africa, 2003-04

* 161 Bruce Edgar, v Australia, 1981-82

* 158* John F Reid, v Pakistan, 1984-85

* 158 Chris Cairns, v South Africa, 2003-04

* 157 Matt Horne, v Zimbabwe, 1997-98