Cricket: Players look to Cairns for self-belief

Brendon McCullum, in the nets yesterday, is delighted at the return of Chris Cairns. Picture / Brent Phibbs

Brendon McCullum reckons he was as relieved as anyone when he heard about the recall of veteran New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns.

The young wicket-keeper yesterday spoke of his delight at Cairns' inclusion in the squad for the Chappell-Hadlee series against Australia, describing him as an iconic figure in New Zealand sport and someone who still had an important role to play in New Zealand cricket.

Without Cairns on board, New Zealand seemed to lack a vital ingredient in South Africa, and McCullum said his return would undoubtedly bring a greater sense of self-belief to the dressing room - not to mention a wealth of experience and an extraordinary range of skills.

"It's great to have him back," McCullum said. "I know he found being left on the outer very hard, particularly in view of the fact he wasn't injured; it was just that he wasn't required.

"That's a pretty tough message to face.

"But from our perspective it's brilliant he's bounced back, because he's one of our most experienced players. He brings a sense of reassurance to the team and he also projects an element of intimidation.

"He's the sort of guy who's great to have on your side."

McCullum said Cairns' return was all the more welcome after news of the unavailability of skipper Stephen Fleming, who will miss the first two matches of series following facial surgery.

In Fleming's absence, Daniel Vettori will take over the reins and Nathan Astle will deputise as vice-captain, something McCullum said had provided a totally different atmosphere about the camp.

"Flem's been New Zealand cricket for the past 10 years, so to go into a series without him now is a bit different, to put it mildly.

"But Daniel's a very smart person and a good leader, and I think he'll offer something completely different from Flem. It's up to us to get in behind him and support him every inch of the way."

Despite the scale of the threat posed by Australia, he said all the New Zealand players saw the series as a chance to put the South African series behind them and weren't wasting their time worrying unduly about the Australians.

New Zealand assembled on Tuesday night and practiced at Eden Park yesterday, while the Australian team arrived in Auckland last night and will practice at the same venue this morning.

"I'm pretty excited," McCullum said. "It's a good opportunity for us to get up off the canvas after the South African series, and this is looking like the ultimate challenge - at home against the best side in the world.

"The results we had in last year's Chappell-Hadlees were encouraging and this year we know we're the underdogs but, at the same time, we know we've also got a great chance to redeem ourselves."

McCullum said the side were taking heart from their decent home record and their sporadic success against Australia, and said playing them on an annual basis would help to advance New Zealand's game.

"The more we play against Australia, the better we'll get; that's what happens if you regularly measure your game against the best in the world," he said. "It can only help and speed up our development, and that's one of the great things about this contest."