Cairns announces his one-day retirement

Chris Cairns faces the media to announce his retirement © AFP

Chris Cairns, one of New Zealand's greatest allrounders, has announced his international retirement a year before he was expected to bow out at the 2007 World Cup. 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 will now focus on his expanding business interests.

"I still enjoy playing for New Zealand and want to leave at a time when that enjoyment has not diminished and when I feel that I am still performing at the top level and contributing to the success of the team," Cairns said in a statement. "It is also important to retire at a time which allows NZ Cricket to develop other options well ahead of the World Cup." Cairns's farewell match will be the Twenty20 international against West Indies at Auckland on February 16.

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.

John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said Cairns would be missed. "He is very much the elder statesman within the team and plays an important role in mentoring players," he said. "He has shown great commitment in returning to full fitness this season and I believe that he had the ability to push towards the World Cup."

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 after finishing the current domestic season with Canterbury. He has developed business interests and has a proposal with the ECB relating to ball-by-ball video capture and analysis of all domestic cricket in England.