Cricket: Cairns plays great one day innings in Brisbane win

Big-hitting Chris Cairns played one of the great one-day international innings in the 22-year history of the game, as the Black Caps got up to beat South Africa by four wickets in Brisbane last night.

Cairns' 102 not out, off just 99 deliveries, lifted New Zealand to their target of 242, with five balls to spare.

The win was founded on a brilliant exhibition of strokemaking from Cairns which extricated the Black Caps from peril at a mark of 98 for 5 at one stage.

Chasing South Africa's tally of 241, the New Zealanders' chase began disastrously as Mark Richardson (0) perished from just the second ball of the innings and as further wickets tumbled through the middle stages.

Adam Parore (21 not out) compiled the match-winning score with Cairns in an excellent unbeaten partnership of 84 for the seventh wicket.

Earlier in the day, their renowned fighting qualities had also been in evidence again as they pegged the Proteas back when a huge total had looked in prospect.

Five South African wickets crashed for the addition of just 10 runs at the conclusion of the innings as they stuttered toward their eventual score.

Their late collapse ultimately proved extremely costly.

Chris Harris, who flew over for the match after having returned to New Zealand the day before for family reasons, contributed a useful 24 with the bat and took 1 for 45 off the ten overs he bowled.

The South Africans will now have to pick themselves up in time to take on the desperate Australian side in the second of the weekend's double-header of games at the Gabba later today.

VB Series Points Table

New Zealand 12

South Africa 8

Australia 0