Cairns to announce his retirement

[ZexyZahid]

Pretty bad. I used to like this guy. He was my favourite New Zealand player.

Cairns to announce his retirement
Cricinfo staff
January 22, 2006

Chris Cairns, New Zealand's greatest allrounder, will announce his international retirement in Christchurch later today due a lack of enjoyment and an inability to return to his full powers. Cairns, 35, walked away from the Test arena in 2004 hoping it would extend his career, but he could not find regular rhythm as a one-day specialist and has bowed out a year before the World Cup.

New Zealand will need two players to replace Cairns and he leaves with 4950 runs at 29.46 and 201 wickets at 32.80 in his 215 one-day matches. He was only 50 runs short of joining Jacques Kallis and Sanath Jayasuriya as the only men to reach the 200-wicket, 5000-run double, but his recovery time after games had increased while his impact had reduced.

Dropped from last year's South Africa tour, Cairns vowed to regain his place with the plan of pushing on to the World Cup, and he improved his fitness and returned to domestic cricket to prove his form. However, he struggled with the ball in the Chappell-Hadlee Trophy against Australia and produced scores of 10 not out, 2 and 28 against Sri Lanka.

Cairns will be best remembered for his ferocious limited-overs hitting - he belted 153 sixes alongside 87 in Tests - and New Zealand will also miss his penetrative seam bowling. He collected 26 fifties and four centuries, including one in the 2000-01 version of the Champions Trophy when he smashed an unbeaten 102 to defeat India in the final. His one five-wicket haul came against Australia at Napier in 1997-98 and he scraped to 200 victims when he added Tillakaratne Dilshan on January 3.

Cairns, the son of the big-hitting Lance Cairns, made his debut as a 20-year-old in 1990-91 and would have played more if he was not hindered by regular injuries, particularly to his knees and ankle, which now has no ligament support. The wear and tear forced his Test retirement in England after 62 Tests, 3320 runs and 218 wickets.

Until last year he was an automatic selection when fit, and he is expected to fulfil a contract playing club cricket with Bacup in the Lancashire League. He has developed business interests and currently has a proposal with the ECB relating to ball-by-ball video capture and analysis of all domestic cricket in England.

? Cricinfo

http://content-uk.cricinfo.com/newzealand/content/story/234075.html

 

[IloveGilly]

Just read the news off another site. Very sad to hear, i really wanted to see some more of him during the 06/07 VB series.

 

[JamesyJames3]

Yea, this doesn't suprise me really. He has had agreat career, but everyone has a time to leave the game and he claearly believes his is now.

For the people of Lancashire he will be playing as a Professional in the Lancashire League next season.

 

[Indiangod]

Cairns was a very good allrounder, one of the best allrounders in the 90s and 00s era but Injuries kept him out of cricket all the way thorugh is career. I hope he has a good send off.

 

[Karachi Xpress]

I think he should have played atleast till the World Cup!!!He waz a great allrounder!!!

 

[irottev]

THIS SUCKS!

Cairns has announced that he is retiring from international cricket after the 20/twenty international between NZ and the West Indies.

Man I am sad. This really sucks. He should finish at the world cup, not now. Its too early. He should at least finish this season. Hes in good form. Why won't he go onto the world cup.

And yeah, It would be cool if he made some 20/twenty records. Most sixes, fastest 50, I dunno something. Anything. Preferably the first ever 20/twenty century.

I really hope he makes something of it and doesn't fail. it seems like a game almost tailormade for him.

I am sure they will try to get him to keep playing for the world cup, I don't think Cairns will give in though.

Hes 51 runs short of 5000, he would be only the third player to ever take 200 wickets and get 5000 runs. That really is a shame, he deserves to get there.


Farewell Chris Cairns. You will always be remembered as the clean hitter you were who was the best all-rounder in the world for most of your long and sucessful career. You still hold the record for most sixes in test cricket and many others. You were selected in the ICC World XI team which took on the Asian XI. You made your country proud.
http://content-nz.cricinfo.com/newz...ayer/36597.html

Had to remove it from my sig

We can't replace him for the world cup, we can't replace an extremly experianced, coolheaded, confident, smart, mature, unphasable guy like him, who keeps us in hope if we start bad they he is able to blast sixes and fours off almost any delivery. And his great bowling won't be able to be summoned on when needed. His slower balls and yorkers won't be able to be used at the death. He has one of the best throwing arms and sets of hands in International Cricket so his deep fielding will be sorely missed

I wonder if this opens up a spot for Harris who is in pretty good form. We wpuld of done better at the World Cup with Cairns there. Thats for sure.

 

[irottev]

Heres a tribute from some of the best bowlers/spinners ever.

Tributes Flow For Cairns The Entertainer

Chris Cairns is hoping he will leave a lasting impression on the cricket world as he departs from the international game.

After 16 years in the international game, Cairns has called it quits, choosing to focus on family and business instead.

The 35-year-old allrounder will make his final appearance for the Black Caps in the Twenty20 match against the West Indies in a few weeks at Eden Park.

He made his debut just five years after his father Lance's retirement, and hopes the four decades they put together will be remembered by fans who enjoyed the journey along with them.

Cairns insists he will still have an involvement with cricket because the game has been so good to him that he will definitely be looking to give something back in the form of helping younger players.

Cairns says everyone must learn from their mistakes, but some advice along the way never goes astray.

He will see out the season with Canterbury and will play league cricket in England this winter.

As cricketing fans, players and administrators reflect on Cairns' career, the country's best all-rounder Sir Richard Hadlee remembers a special connection.

He clearly remembers the day Cairns joined the New Zealand test team as the young Cairns actually replaced him in 1989 on the trip to Australia, after he injured his Achilles tendon.

Sir Richard believes the time is right for Cairns to retire, and hopes the public accepts it, and thanks Cairns for his contribution to cricket, rather than questioning his retirement.

While it is a sad time, Cairns needs to be remembered for what he has contributed.

Chris Cairns is the sixth man to score 3000 tests runs and take 200 wickets and will retire 50 runs short of 5000 one-day runs.

Sir Richard says the selectors will meet in two weeks to discuss the way forward.

He says they are hopeful Jacob Oram, who has always been the heir apparent, will get over his injuries.

Cairns' Canterbury coach Dave Nosworthy says he will miss the input Cairns has with the development of young players.

Nosworthy says he has been magnificent in assisting with player development and has backed him in many decisions.

He says they have a lot of young players in the team this season, so he has been a great help.

Nosworthy says he is the sort of guy, who everyone looks up to for guidance.


Warne Pays Tribute To An Arch Rival



Shane Warne is paying tribute Chris Cairns, who is a player he rates as one of his most competitive arch rivals in world cricket.

Warne says he has always loved playing against Cairns, with all Australian players respecting his power.

He says Cairns was a wonderful player, and all Australian teams would sit down and map out a bowling plan for facing Cairns, which would include Plans A, B, C right through to Z.

Warne says he had Cairns' mettle early on in his career, but over the past few years Cairns got on top of his bowling, hitting some massive sixes.

Warne says he will never forget one shot in particular, at Hamilton, where Cairns faced him looking away to square leg, then belted a ball, driving it straight over the square leg boundary and out of the ground for six.

And there is more praise from across the Tasman from the man everyone in cricket wants to impress - Richie Benaud.

The doyen of commentators and the former Australian captain has watched Cairns from his time in county cricket in England and his test debut in Australia in 1989.

Benaud believes Cairns can be held right up there in the all-rounder stakes, and he always thought Cairns was worthy of being among the select few to hit 3000 runs and take 200 wickets.

Benaud says he loved watching Cairns, one of the game's true entertainers, who was greatly feared by Australia for his abilities, even if he did not always seem to take full advantage of his talent, and while Cairns may have lacked consistency at times, that is the nature of an entertainer.

Benaud feels Cairns has timed his retirement perfectly.

He says there is an art to retirement and Cairns has done it right.

 

[siddharth2002]

Warne says he will never forget one shot in particular, at Hamilton, where Cairns faced him looking away to square leg, then belted a ball, driving it straight over the square leg boundary and out of the ground for six.

I remember that shot having seen it live and in highlights lots of times. That was one shot even Viv Richards would have found difficult to play against someone like Warne. That was a Square straight lofted-drive.

 

[srk121]

this is a bad news i liked his batting style it was a uniqe style. i wil surely remember the champios trophy final where he played a knock of his life vrsus india.

 

[aussie1st]

I remember that shot having seen it live and in highlights lots of times. That was one shot even Viv Richards would have found difficult to play against someone like Warne. That was a Square straight lofted-drive.

I too remember that shot. I was thinking dam Cairns been cocky to Warney. Then in a flash the ball is sailing over the fence. Its hard to forget when its so unorthadox and to the great leggie.

 

[jkartik]

me too !! cant forget that shot ! sad that he is retiring
but its a part and parcel of life and we have to accept it .