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Counting on Cairns

No bigger stage or better opportunity could await the talented yet frustrating New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns than a packed Lord's tomorrow.

Cairns has promised more than he has delivered for the best part of a decade and New Zealand need him to produce something special in the second Test against England.

A knee injury to the Kiwis' leading strike bowler Simon Doull may be the spur Cairns needs to seize the day and help his country square the four-match series.

Cairns took the new ball in the tourists' match against Kent last week and responded to the responsibility with figures of seven for 46 on a batsmen's pitch.

Although these days he jogs in from a short run, Cairns can still generate genuine pace and move the ball through the air and off the pitch.

''I love bowling with the new ball,'' Cairns remarked. ''It was nice to bowl down the channel keeping my line and length right on a flat track.

''In the past year I've been guilty of bowling boundary balls. I'm not saying I've fixed it overnight, but it's a good step forward. Hopefully the time is right going into the home of cricket for the next Test.''

Injuries, which have hampered Cairns's development as a bowler, prevented him from touring England in 1990 and 1994 and in latter years his clean, uncomplicated batting in the lower order has been more prominent.

Cairns is as gifted a player as any in New Zealand's history but a Test batting average of 27 and a bowling average of 32 are the wrong way around for somebody aspiring to become a world class all-rounder.

His detractors, including former coach Glenn Turner, accuse him of lacking mental steel. His supporters, including New Zealand's finest batsman Martin Crowe, argue he needs sympathetic handling.

Crowe responded to the special atmosphere at Lord's five years ago by scoring a wonderful century which restored some respectability to a touring side teetering on the brink of abject failure.

Cairns has the physical gifts to perform similar heorics with either bat and ball.

While his teammates struggled on lively net pitches at Lord's on Tuesday, Cairns was rarely troubled and lofted several deliveries effortlessly out off the practice area.

''Playing at Lord's is what every cricketer aspires to,'' he said. ''To play against England at Lord's and perform is the goal.

''You want to get your name up on the boards in the dressing rooms among all the players who have taken five wickets or scored 100 runs. That's what we'll definitely be going out to achieve.''

The New Zealand national side over the past decade has shown about as much family solidarity as the borgias but the World Cup semi-finalists appeared a united body under their impressively intelligent young captain Stephen Fleming.

Five years ago, Dion Nash responded to Crowe's century by almost snatching victory for New Zealand with a match haul of 11 wickets and a half-century in the first innings.

Troubled, like Cairns, by back problems, Nash drifted out of Test cricket for several years before returning this year with immediate effect.

Solid all-round performances were instrumental in New Zealand's home series win over India late last year and he warmed up for Thursday's Test with career best figure of 135 not out and seven for 39 against Hampshire.

New Zealand will need all the runs they can get from Cairns and Nash. The New Zealand top-order is technically fallible and on Tuesday several key batsmen, including Fleming, were receiving intensive instruction on judging line and length outside the off-stump.

''The next Test is very important for us,'' said Fleming. ''We can't afford to go two down and we've got to play better cricket, especially in the batting area.''

UNI