Cricket: Cairns gutted by crippling knee injury

NAIROBI - Chris Cairns was determined to make a mark on the ICC Knockout Trophy cricket tournament in Kenya, but he grabbed the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

The New Zealand allrounder limped out of the tournament on Tuesday because of a recurring right knee injury, which has also placed him in doubt for the two-month tour of South Africa starting next week.

New Zealand management yesterday confirmed that Cairns would stay with the team in the meantime and would have another scan on the knee.

Cairns, one of the world's premier allrounders, said the injury came at just the wrong time as he was looking to prove his high rating.

"It's frustrating because this is one place you want to do well," Cairns said.

"Everyone's here, it's the world stage. To say I'm gutted is an understatement."

The 30-year-old is seasoned enough to know how fickle life can be for a pace bowler at cricket's top level.

Having battled the patella tendon injury for two years, the fallout from another setback was familiar.

"I've been around long enough to know this is part of what I do.

"You can't plan for injuries, you've got to deal with them and stay positive."

The problem which had caused him so much pain while bowling flared up again while he was batting.

He felt the knee twinge when turning for a second run during his brief 34-minute stay for 13 in the quarter-final win over Zimbabwe. He was out soon afterwards and hobbled back later to bowl just one over.

Another irony was that the knee had been feeling as good as ever following a cortisone injection a fortnight ago.

"I got into trouble on Tuesday because it was feeling so good.

"I put more of a load on it than I had done in the last year," Cairns said.

"I was being aggressive with my running, my legs felt great. I was maybe lured into thinking it was better than it was.

"It's the worst it's felt. When I was running I had no strength in my knee at all, it wouldn't give anything."

Cairns wants to avoid an operation at all costs and is still hopeful of managing the injury throughout a packed home summer, which includes tours by Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka and Pakistan.

"An operation is way down the track. Once I have it, I'm out for a good six months so that's not the scenario at this stage."

Cairns' injury was the latest in a string of problems for the New Zealand bowling ranks.

While left-armer Geoff Allott has made progress, Daniel Vettori and Dion Nash have already been sent home from Africa to nurse serious back injuries.

Several theories have been put forward as to why the injuries have hit New Zealand at once, but Cairns has an idea of his own.

"You're dealing in a sport which is very tough on the body.

"If you look around the world, the amount of cricket that's being played means the bowlers are finding it hard.

"All of our guys have gone down at once. We had a good run through England and the World Cup [last year] and now suddenly it's all happened."

Cairns admitted to a hollow feeling during yesterday's team meeting with his immediate career in limbo.

But there is no doubt where he wants to be next month - against the likes of the South African allrounders Jacques Kallis, Lance Klusener and Shaun Pollock.

"I'm a little bit in the dark as to where I'm heading. I'm always optimistic, and I'd love to be in South Africa."

- NZPA