Chris Cairns      

One of the more colourful characters in the New Zealand side, Chris Cairns has developed from something of a rebel to a more senior statesman, especially after the part he played in ending the players' strike in 2002. However, his genuine ability has been seen in only fleeting glimpses due to an inordinate number of injuries at crucial stages. When fit, he is one of the finest allrounders in the world, and he became only the sixth man to achieve an allrounder's double of 200 wickets and 3000 runs in March 2004. However, his bowling and batting has on the whole lacked the sort of impact which led New Zealand to their first one-day international tournament success, the 2000 ICC tournament at Nairobi. He continued to flourish in 2001-02, helping New Zealand to the VB Series final, but knee and back injuries came back to blunt his form. However, he came back for New Zealand's 2003-04 series against South Africa and announced that the 2004 Test series in England would be his last, but would continue to play one-dayers. New Zealand lost all three Tests, but, suitably, Cairns bowed out at Trent Bridge, his adopted home from his days with Nottinghamshire. In the first Test at Lord's, he passed Sir Vivian Richards's previous record of the most sixes in Test cricket. He played for Notts from 1989 to 1996, and returned in 2003. Upset at missing out on New Zealand's tour of South Africa in September 2005 - his captain, Stephen Fleming, was similar perplexed - he vowed to be fit and available for the World Cup in 2007. New Zealand lost the five-match one-day series 4-0, and Cairns was reinstated for Australia's one-day tour of New Zealand in December. On January 22, 2006, Cairns announced his retirement from ODIs in a tear-filled press conference. A Twenty20 match against West Indies on February 16, 2006 was his last game for New Zealand.
Lynn McConnell (August 2007)