Chris Cairns: former Black Cap previews Champions Trophy opener against Pakistan

The Black Caps have another chance to win a major international competition.

The Champions Trophy gets underway tonight at 10pm.

The last time New Zealand won this particular gong was back in 2000.

Chris Cairns was on that team, and he spoke to D'Arcy Waldegrave on Sportstalk.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:06):
You're listening to the Sports Talk podcast with Dancy Wildergrave
from News Talks'd be.

Speaker 2 (00:12):
It's todd it's after seven and only hours away and
now from the start of the Champions Trophy. It's been
a lot of lead up, a lot of build up
to this event and finally we've got an event with
actually a target. There's something at the end of it.
It's not bilateral, it's not a friendly, it's not a
crazy one off. It's actually a tournament. Cool to talk
about that. Chris Kenns from a black Cap all round

(00:34):
it being there done that scored a ton when they
won the Champions Trophy back in two thousand. He joins
us to talk about that many other things. Cricket good
a Chris, does I trust you well and I'm looking
forward to the entertainment. Must be hard for you looking
at the Champions Trophy, which does start at ten o'clocks
Pakistan without going all the way back in history to

(00:58):
that wonderful day when the Black CAP's actually won something
of promise and prominence and you scored the tonne hit
the wood run. So you got to go back there
memory lane, don't you, Chris?

Speaker 1 (01:10):
It was more the fact that Adam Ferori nearly broke
my back when he jumped on me sort of as
we were running off the field, which is sort of
quite a that's actually that's one of my most vivid
memories made of sort of turning around and seeing MAVs
sort of sprinting towards me, and I'm going, it's not
slowing down, so boom, I collected him and and we
headed off the field. And yeah, look it was a

(01:30):
it was a it was a wonderful I mean put
it in perspective. Look, we only won three games, right,
so I mean we won a global trophy. We big
zim I didn't play the semi Atu, we won the
first Machigan zim I played the sim against Pakistan. Roger
Two's played really really well in that and sort contributions
from everybody, and then in the final against the good
Indian side and and so made it was. It was

(01:53):
really rewarding with a good group of guys and also
you know, under Tristy and Jeff Crow to sort of
share that, and you know, and the late Christopher Dorg
was in the dressing room with us on that on
that moment as well.

Speaker 2 (02:04):
Yeah, one of the better CEOs New Zealand Crickets either
had Chris Still you know, you look back with you
roast into Classic because it was a wonderful time and
I still remember how stoked I was watching that. So
we're doing it a lot over again. But let's talk
about the Champions Trophy and where it actually sits in
the landscape of cricket because it is such a congested

(02:26):
skyline now with peaks all over the show, I'm not
even sure where this sits, do you know, do the
players not? Does anybody know?

Speaker 1 (02:34):
Yeah? I think you're right, So, I mean, just looking
at him made So it's the first time it's been
played since twenty seventeen, so we're talking eight years since
they've sort of dusted it off and brought it back out.
I mean, we've had COVID in between that and whatnot,
so it seems to be, you know, a bit of
an afterthought. We've got the ICC T twenty World Cup,
there's the fifty over comp and then you know there's

(02:56):
this sort of I suppose shortened high intensity Champions Trophy
game where the top eight teams and you know, you
go through so effectively made it sort of out all
the bollocks of a World Cup at the beginning and
you get down to the business end, and that's essentially
what this is. So it's you know, you've got to
you've got to win from the start, and you know
every match matters.

Speaker 2 (03:17):
Simplicity. I think this is something that a lot of
us really treasure in this day and age where there's
so many complexities and nuance around so many competitions in sport.
This is nice and simple. Two groups of four, the
top two from each group play in the semi finals,
you have a final, and then bang, it's all over.
There's something refreshing about that, Chris.

Speaker 1 (03:37):
Yeah, it sort of goes back to us, like to
ninety two and the World Cup when we had the
nine teams and everybody played everybody, and you know, and
it was every every match, every match counted. And the
good thing with this tournament may compared to some of
the elongated tournaments that they've done now to sort of
get extra games for you know, broadcast contracts and revenues
and delivering matches, et cetera. This is every every game

(03:58):
now will be a good game or a good match,
and so you know that's the positive side to it.
You shouldn't sit through two many one side of the
lopside of games, so you know the players will have
to be up for it straight away. Where where it
sort of sits or is going forward? You know, I
don't know, you know, I really, I really don't. But look,
it's only I think, what it's only a week and

(04:19):
a half or two weeks, you know, compared to a
five or six week of a World Cup. So you know,
it's a bit of a in there and and sort
of thrash it out and we'll get a winner.

Speaker 2 (04:28):
When you look at relevance and it is hard, isn't it,
Because things are shifting, and they're shifting so quickly in
world cricket where the power actually lies with the players,
with the the T twenty franchises worth the ICC, worth
the b C C I. So it's reached the stage
now there's a lot going on. It's quite chaotic, and
I expect that's going to eventually flatten out and we'll

(04:51):
understand actually where the strengths are. But that's it's still
a long road.

Speaker 1 (04:55):
Isn't it. Yeah? You and I, You and I talked
about this per format with you know, where where is
cricket currently sitting around who owns it will predominantly the
b c C I own it and then you know,
the ICC obviously are the main cricket boards of England
and Way of England and Australia. But you know, I
think we've we're sort of starting to see now there's

(05:17):
a oh not a young cricketer. Actually he's been around
for a while govern the name Alex Hales, an English
and Englishman. He's just been contracted by one of the
Indian franchises to play global T twenty cricket for their
sort of several franchises they have dotted around the world
in most domestic T twenty leagues. So so it could
really be the start of the beginning. And I'm sure

(05:38):
there's other players out there who are doing the same thing,
foregoing an opportunity within their home board. Or you know,
we haven't seen a big name tip over yet, mate,
with regards to to jumping ship. You know, I mean
when we saw of Live Golf come out and do
its thing, you know, we saw some big names go
across from the PGA across sided to Live. We haven't

(05:58):
seen a massive name like Steve Smith, for example. Say,
I'm forgoing an international contract or a national contract with Australia.
I'm now going to contract myself to Mumbai Indians or
a year round And you know what's the value of
Steve Smith to them all year round? Is it five
million US dollars? Is a six? Is at eight? Is
at ten? I don't know. So we yet to see

(06:19):
that happen, but it won't be too far away. I
don't think.

Speaker 2 (06:21):
Can we actually get to the cricket, because that's an
important thing that New Zealand I've got more than a
startus chance of actually doing well in this time and
haven't they?

Speaker 1 (06:30):
Yeah, I think they have made I mean then the leader,
you know, the form's been, perform has been great, but
then you look at the women's T twenty and their
form is horrendous and things that winning the tournament. I
think these tournaments are like that, right. I don't think
you can take any form before the tournament as any
indicator whatsoever. And so it comes into winning that first match.

(06:52):
You know, you get a good feel within the camp
and you get a roll on. It's as simple as that. Made.
The teams that win first up I think sort of
give themselves a huge chance in the tournament straight away
and New Zealand's done all the front running. Again it's
Pakistan and the two matches they've had just previously in
the warm up played brilliantly. You know, leed really really
well by Mitch Satner. Both him embracefall bowling, you know,

(07:15):
twenty overs of quality spin. Matt Henry just continues to
do what he does. You know, Willow walks, he's he's
going to be special and then you know, I've got
those power headers in the middle, so that they've got
a really nice unit. New sent but look we always
have a nice unit, so you know. But Pakistan first
up in Pakistan, not having had any international tournament there

(07:38):
for twenty years, they were on a massive hot streak
leading into the matches against New Zealand and they hadn't
lost any matches so and they chased down three fifty
I think against South Africa as well in the tournament.
So that's a dangerous, dangerous team. So if you get
the crowd going and they get their tails up, I
think Harris Ralf I'm not sure if he's still injured,
but if he comes back, you know they've got a

(08:01):
strong quick bowling trio. So they're going to be really dangerous.
Made of New Zealand can get up over this. That'll
that'll set them up really, really well for the rest
of the tournament.

Speaker 2 (08:14):
Mad Mike Cassen on the show last week talking about
the patch and the nature of the pitch and it's
basically rolled mud. So it's going to be high scoring.
So don't panic too much if Pakistan score a pile
of runs because all the gears there for New Zealand
to do exactly the same thing. But you mentioned spinners before,
it's more than spinning, as was pointed out too by Hessan.

(08:37):
When you look at what Santa do, it's not about turn,
it's about it's about bounce, it's about bite, it's about speed,
it's all these different things. And that's something I think
you'll find that not only as Mitchell sand to God
in space, but but you believe that Bracelets on his
way there too.

Speaker 1 (08:54):
Yeah, and just been exposed to those conditions to us,
you know, having spent time over there both braceful. Santana
is shall we say, edging closer to being the Tory
Like he's still I mean, Dan Vittori is still one
of the best one day bottles. I've ever seen his
his ability to control place. So his speak, no, no

(09:16):
delivery was the same with a very you know, completely
discernible change of action. And you know he had a
wonderful arm ball, but his control was superb. And and
so Satan is getting into that sort of realm. As
I say, he's away a way way away from you know,
the quality of the tory consistently. But when we start
to talk about where Satna is, you know, that's the

(09:36):
pathway that he's on. So he controls that game really nicely.
And I think Braceletle feeds off that he's got a
captain that's a spinner, that knows how to set the fields,
that knows what's going on, and so they've got a
they've got a nice combination. They're throwing Phillips, who's also
probably i mean, he's better than a part timer, so
if they need overs from him, and then you've got
the quick who will sort of you know, they're all

(09:56):
hitting the back pretty hard, so there's no easy overs
with that New Zealand lineup. And New Zealand have always
been a good feeling side, so they pride themselves on that.
So yeah, look, if I was Pakistan. I'm nervous about
playing New Zealand. However, given Pakistan at home for the
first time in an international tournament in over two decades,
New Zealand do being nervous as well.

Speaker 2 (10:17):
You're old like me, how long Chris Ken's and a
couple of words before you turn in. I mean you're
going to get the first couple of hours under your belt.

Speaker 1 (10:22):
Are well made them over the fifty years. So it's
gonna have a little kipt like sort of now ish
and then and then and then sort of watch it
and see how we go. But I do think it's
going to be a good game. But they just can't
let the crowd get into the Pakistan and sort of
side and get alongside with them, because that's when Pakistan
are really dangerous. For more from Sports Talk, listen live

(10:46):
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