NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport

Cricket: Classy Kiwi batsmen can help hide stain of ugly perjury trial

By David Leggat
Reporter·NZ Herald·
16 Oct, 2015 11:15 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

New Zealand Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor. Photo / Brett Phibbs

New Zealand Black Caps batsman Ross Taylor. Photo / Brett Phibbs

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

New Zealand are squarely in the rugby spotlight, but for how much longer that remains the case will be seen early tomorrow and, by extension, over the coming fortnight.

For sure, the sooner the quarter-final is over the better for those fans of a queasy disposition and an eye on World Cup history.

Four days after the cup final, New Zealand cricket will take the national game's place in the country's sporting interests. The first test against Australia starts on November 5. Anticipation is high.

There are two other test series on now, in Sri Lanka where the West Indies are touring, and in the United Arab Emirates, with England squaring off against the de facto home team, Pakistan.

Hanging over all cricket, though, is the dark stain of the Chris Cairns perjury trial in London with New Zealanders heavily involved, not only as defendant but also on the witness list.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

The testimony, the exchanges, make riveting reading, if ghastly for those who hold the game dear.

There have been other momentous events, other court cases, but, certainly in New Zealand eyes, this must be the worst of times.

On purer cricket matters, the opening Pakistan-England test in Abu Dhabi has thrown up two exceptional performances - three if you include Shoaib Malik's double century.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Alastair Cook's 28th test hundred, easily an England record, enhances his case as his country's best test batsman, but that depends how you define "best".

He's England's highest test runmaker, will become the 12th player to 10,000, perhaps even by the end of this series.

Then there's the ageless Younis Khan, who passed the legendary Javed Miandad on the first day of this test to become Pakistan's alltime top scorer, with 8852. He got there in eight fewer innings than the great Karachi scrapper.

Only two batsmen, among the 10,000-plus club have a better average than Younis' 53.97, Kumar Sangakkara's 57.4 and Jacques Kallis at 55.37. Younis' numbers brook no argument that he should sit among the game's finest batsmen.

Discover more

Sport|cricket

Cricket: Cook spends 14 hours at the crease

16 Oct 07:55 PM
Sport|cricket

Cricket: NZ seeing red before getting into the pink

16 Oct 11:04 PM
Sport|cricket

Smith hits double ton

17 Oct 04:00 PM
Sport|cricket

Guptill warms up for Aussie tests

18 Oct 04:00 PM

Which brings the mind to New Zealand's best.

Kane Williamson and Ross Taylor are in possession of the two best averages for New Zealanders with 20 or more tests (John F. Reid got his runs at 46.28 in 19 matches).

With averages at 45.7 and 44.99 respectively, they will lead New Zealand's batting group against Australia. Taylor has 12 centuries, Williamson 10, both expected to chase down Martin Crowe's national record of 17 in time.

New Zealand need these two batsmen on song if they are to fulfil what would be the substantial achievement of a second series win in Australia.

After all, Australia may be preparing to field a team shorn of a core of experienced players but they're not going to be pushovers and with young, thrusting players getting a chance, is sure to be a stiff assignment.

Still, if Williamson and Taylor are able to push each other to greater heights, there can only be one beneficiary.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

It's a prospect to relish and something to take the mind off far less palatable matters elsewhere.

Save

    Share this article

Latest from Sport

Sport

Skateboarding sensation proves girls belong on the street

10 Jul 10:01 PM
Silver Ferns

'There's some niggle': Mystics coach's warning amid rising injury toll

10 Jul 09:01 PM
Sport

‘No secret society’: How women in sport learn best

10 Jul 08:53 PM

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Sport

Skateboarding sensation proves girls belong on the street

Skateboarding sensation proves girls belong on the street

10 Jul 10:01 PM

15yo Jessica Ready claimed an X Games medal after a late call-up and big rush to Utah.

'There's some niggle': Mystics coach's warning amid rising injury toll

'There's some niggle': Mystics coach's warning amid rising injury toll

10 Jul 09:01 PM
‘No secret society’: How women in sport learn best

‘No secret society’: How women in sport learn best

10 Jul 08:53 PM
'Never even dreamed': Swiatek surprised by Wimbledon success

'Never even dreamed': Swiatek surprised by Wimbledon success

10 Jul 08:29 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP