Richard Boock: Beware the agony of Cairns

It's hard to know who to feel the most sorry for this morning; discarded all-rounder Chris Cairns or the poor sods who will be lining up against him when the domestic season begins.

The latest casualty of John Bracewell's World Cup preparations, Cairns was this week dropped from the New Zealand one-day squad and told to play more cricket if he wants to resurrect his career.

At 35, the armchair must have appeared enticing, but Cairns instead opted for a last-ditch effort to win back his place for the 2007 cup campaign, starting with playing more domestic cricket for Canterbury.

You can virtually hear the medium-pacers around the provinces quaking in their boots already.

Cairns might be in the autumn of his career, but he remains a cut above most domestic practitioners and, as long as his injury-ravaged body can hold up to the increased workload, should be in for a bumper season with the bat.

But the more critical part of the equation will be his capability with the ball and the question of whether he can still function as a genuine all-rounder, making meaningful contributions in both disciplines.

There used to be a time when Cairns was worth two players to the selectors, in that he could take on the role of a front-line paceman when required and also bat at No 6, abilities that created room for another specialist bowler.

But these days his worth with the ball has almost dipped below the radar, leaving him as little more than a batsman who bowls a bit, in much the same mould as a Nathan Astle or Craig McMillan.

With Jacob Oram now ensconced as the main all-rounder in the party, Cairns needs to convince the selectors that he's a better bet than bowlers such as Kyle Mills and James Franklin, or batsmen of the ilk of McMillan, Hamish Marshall and Lou Vincent.

It won't be an easy task either, given the pressure already on places within the squad, and the problems Cairns is likely to face in changing the minds of not only Bracewell, but also those of fellow selectors Glenn Turner, Dion Nash and Sir Richard Hadlee.

As selection panels go, this high-powered quartet seem to have everything covered in terms of expertise and suitability.

It seems fair to speculate that Cairns hasn't been given a mere wake-up call from the selectors, but a clear directive that unless he shows a dramatic improvement in his game, he will be history.

And to be fair to Bracewell and co, it's not hard to understand why.

If any lesson was to be drawn from the recent Ashes drama in England, it was that the Australian selectors had erred in blindly persevering with older and established players on the basis of reputation and past deeds.

Younger players were extended precious few opportunities to break into the squad, incumbents were extended the benefit of the doubt when out of form, and over a period of a decade, the once great depth in the Aussie game evaporated.

Bracewell is clearly anxious that the same malaise doesn't scupper New Zealand's chance in the West Indies in 2007, and he should be congratulated for recognising the danger signs early enough.

If his intervention succeeds, New Zealand will have regained the services of a world-class all-rounder.

If it doesn't, they will still have a great all-rounder; it's just that his surname will be Oram.