All-time combined India-New Zealand ODI XI

#5 Chris Cairns

Chris Cairns – very few could better his all-round record in the game

Christopher Lance Cairns was one of the finest all-rounders of the modern cricket and a superb six hitting machine. By the time Cairns called it a day in test cricket, he held the record for hitting the maximum number of sixes in the format which shows his penchant for the big shots.

Since the 1990s, New Zealand has always been blessed with a good number of decent all-rounders and utility players but none of them was as proficient as Chris Cairns.

Cairns was a frontline pace bowler for the Kiwis for the major part of his career. His right arm medium pace fetched him in excess of 200 wickets in both formats of the game. With the bat, Cairns could be devastating on his day. He was capable of wreaking havoc on the bowling attacks in the death overs.

Cairns formed the backbone of the Kiwi middle order in ODIs and was the team’s most reliable player in both formats. His aggressive style of batting often turned the matches in New Zealand’s favour and fetched him close to 5000 ODI runs.

All-rounders are highly valuable in limited overs cricket and a top-notch all-rounder like Cairns can definitely add immense value to the team. Not many all-rounders in the history of the game can boast of a better record than that of Cairns. For his fine all-round ability, Cairns deserves a spot in the ‘combined XI.’