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CHRISTCHURCH, March 11: Chris Cairns is bidding to become the second New Zealand all-rounder along with Sir Richard Hadlee to reach 3000 runs and 200 wickets in the opening cricket Test against England starting Wednesday.
Only six players in world cricket have achieved the feat — Sir Garfield Sobers, Ian Botham, Kapil Dev, Imran Khan, Wasim Akram and Hadlee, the current New Zealand chairman of selectors.
The 31-year-old strike bowler has scored 2830 runs from 54 Tests at an average of 32.90 and 194 wickets at 28.91, leaving him 170 runs and six wickets to do the double.
“There are only a few who have done it so it would be nice to put my name alongside them, in this game,” Cairns said here Monday.
“They’re my heroes and to see the name Cairns in that company would be something special.”
England captain Nasser Hussain has a special incentive to lead his team to victory over New Zealand in the three-Test series.
Hussain blames himself for England’s 83-run loss to the Kiwis in the series-deciding fourth Test at The Oval in his early captaincy days when the teams last met in 1999.
“We should have won that series if we’d done things a little bit better at The Oval,” Hussain admitted here Monday.
It was Hussain’s first series as captain but he recovered to win four successive Test series the following year against Zimbabwe, West Indies, Pakistan and Sri Lanka before their 4-1 Ashes series loss to Australia last year.
“It was possibly my inexperience there and a fine innings from Chris Cairns, and we could have won it.
“We’ve moved on from there, Duncan Fletcher’s come in as coach, selections have been more consistent and so have our performances.”
Slater gets chance
SYDNEY: Former Australian opener Michael Slater said Monday he would strive to regain his spot after being recalled to lead New South Wales against Tasmania Wednesday.
Slater, 32, boasting 14 centuries in 74 Tests, was dropped for the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval in August last year and replaced by Justin Langer.
Slater has struggled for form and even been discarded by New South Wales two months ago.—Reuters
