Cricket: Cairns on verge of joining Sobers, Botham and Co

By RICHARD BOOCK

The stage is set for Chris Cairns to cement his place as one of test cricket's most successful allrounders.

Already respected for his deeds with bat and ball, the 31-year-old will place the question of his stature beyond question if he can make a strong all-round contribution during the test series against England, which starts in Christchurch tomorrow.

The man who has played such an influential hand in New Zealand's fortunes over the past five seasons is closing in on one of test cricket's most elite categories - the 3000 runs/200 wickets double, and could find himself among exclusive company by the end of the series.

He has 194 wickets (average 28.91) and 2830 runs (32.90) from 54 tests, leaving him within touching distance of the only five players who have previously achieved the feat - Sir Garfield Sobers, Sir Richard Hadlee, Ian Botham, Imran Khan and Kapil Dev.

"I'm 170 runs and six wickets short, and I expect to reach those targets during this series," Cairns said.

"That will put me alongside five other top players and nobody can take that away from me.

"It puts me next to some of my heroes."

Possibly his biggest threat is his fitness, which has been a shade fragile since he hurt his back last month, and will probably affect the number of overs he can bowl, particularly when it comes to backing up on consecutive days.

However, with the potential of six innings at his disposal there is a reasonable chance that he could reach the batting mark, and even an ordinary bowling performance should see him collecting the required six wickets.

While that would be enough to satisfy most cricketers at the end of their home programme, Cairns has never had much time for milestones unless they contribute towards a winning performance, and in that regard he is unlikely to take his eye off the ball during the coming series.

"I used to enjoy the stardom and the trappings," he said.

"Yet what gives me a thrill now is performances on the field. That's what I want to be judged on - my cricket."

Out of tests for more than a year following a chronic knee problem, Cairns wasted no time in announcing himself on his return, taking a five-wicket bag in the first test against Australia before Christmas and later snaring seven in the opening test against Bangladesh.

Of the present-day crop, only the South African trio of Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis and Lance Klusener can rival him in terms of all-round influence, and none of the three is as effective with both bat and ball.

"I guess Kallis, Pollock, Klusener and myself are the top four allrounders at the moment," Cairns said.

"On our day, we're all capable of making an impact on the game with bat or ball, so I wouldn't like to rank us in order.

"From what I've heard and seen during the one-dayers, [Englishman] Andrew Flintoff has the ability to move into that bracket.

"He seems a solid, powerful competitor and looks like he has the goods. It's always nice to see a new player emerging."

* Jade Stadium groundsman Chris Lewis predicts plenty of action for whoever bowls first tomorrow on the portable pitch.

Lewis said yesterday that there was a huge difference from last year's dead surface which produced a dull draw between New Zealand and Pakistan, when just 19 wickets fell.