Cricket: Pained Cairns hopes to battle through final

1.00pm - By MARK GEENTY

SOUTHAMPTON - New Zealand's star allrounder Chris Cairns will again have to play through the pain barrier to make Saturday's tri-series final as his fitness causes continued worry lines in the camp.

The tourists headed for London tonight after their dress rehearsal for the Lord's final against West Indies was washed out here, just as the teams were taking the field for an already reduced 20-over contest.

Storms that have lashed southern England and cut power to thousands of homes didn't spare the plush new Rose Bowl stadium and a final downpour ended things at 4.30pm local time.

For Cairns it is a familiar scenario to New Zealand's greatest one-day triumph, the Champions Trophy in Kenya in 2000, when he braved a painful knee injury which later required surgery, to score a matchwinning 102 not out against India.

This time it is an ankle problem which has seen him sit out all trainings since his three-wicket haul inspired the win over West Indies in Cardiff on Saturday, and is understood to have required a painkilling injection.

Having been rested from today's game along with fellow allrounder Jacob Oram, who is nursing a side strain, Cairns put on a brave face ahead of a fitness test tomorrow.

"I feel pretty good, I'm looking forward to getting out and having a practice tomorrow. It was a bit disappointing today but I've had a good rest," Cairns said.

"The guys have got aches and pains, general niggles, but a Lord's final doesn't come around in everybody's itinerary very often and I think everyone will be keen to get out there."

The major walking wounded at the end of a 10-week tour are Cairns, Oram, captain Stephen Fleming (hip flexor) and paceman Daryl Tuffey (thigh), and all are eyeing a six-week break afterwards.

Tuffey passed a fitness test today and was set to play before the rain came, having missed three matches with a thigh strain.

It will be a toss-up whether he forces his way back past James Franklin or Ian Butler, having not bowled in almost two weeks.

A run for Tuffey would have been the only good to come out of today's match, which was delayed for six hours until the rain cleared long enough to make a start.

It was clearly nuisance value for both teams but with a half-full stadium and the England Cricket Board facing a refund of £200,000 ($572,082.38) to spectators in a washout, any game was preferable.

It was bad luck for allrounder Andre Adams, who was a late change to the side when it became rain-reduced, only to be denied by the final downpour. Manager Lindsay Crocker said Adams would return to his Lancashire league side tomorrow after being called up as cover for the wounded here.

New Zealand go into Saturday as favourites, having won eight in a row, beaten West Indies once already and been on the brink of another win in Birmingham before the rain came.

The only drawback for New Zealand is their lack of action this week since their double-header victories over West Indies and England.

West Indies sealed their place in the final with a pulsating seven-wicket win over England at Lord's on Tuesday, a result which would have skyrocketed their confidence.

"The break is something we have to be conscious of. But it's the mental side of the game and I think that with Braces (coach John Bracewell) being strong on that, he'll make sure we have a good run around tomorrow and that we're mentally tuned in," Cairns said.

"It's 90 per cent mental, we just need to make sure we are relaxed.

"This team are really excited about the opportunity on Saturday."

- NZPA