Published: Sep 01, 2015, 02:17 PM (IST)
Edited: Sep 01, 2015, 02:18 PM (IST)
The above video is a testament to the cliché that ‘cricket is a funny game’. Rightly, the two teams Australia and New Zealand who drilled hard and sculpted their way to the finals of the World Series Cup of 1982-83 season.
In the second final of the tournament, at the iconic Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), a bowler made the headlines but not for his bowling. Australia were dominating the game as they posted a mammoth target of 303 for the Kiwis to chase. New Zealand in return were six wickets down for a mere score of 44 inside 20 overs.
Lance Cairns was at the crease and was having a difficult time in negotiating with the pumped Australian bowlers. Dennis Lillee welcomed him at the crease with a vicious bouncer, which struck him on his helmet. Later, Cairns avenged them by smashing six massive sixes in ten deliveries. He went ballistic and played maverick strokes against the likes of Lillee, Ken MacLeay and Rodney Hogg. He drew the first blood by slamming one big hit over square leg for a six of MacLeay and again made him bite the dust with a slog over long-on on the third delivery. He hit him for couple of sixes in three deliveries.
Then it was Lillee’s turn, he stroked him for couple of sixes over the long-on boundary. After these two bowlers failed to contain him, the job was given to Hogg but it wasn’t to be. Cairns’ one-handed flick over square leg for a six was the treating moment of the match; he hit one more over long-off and gave Australians the taste of their own medicine.
Although New Zealand lost the game by a huge margin of 149 runs but Cairns enchanting innings of 52 of 25 deliveries which included six sixes gave the Kiwi fans some moment to cherish.
Doesn’t Cairns’ shots reminds of Mahendra Singh Dhoni?
