Finals are a chance for more history-making for this side

Chris Cairns

February 4, 2002

History beckons for the CLEAR Black Caps in the finals of the VB Series against South Africa and we are looking forward to the challenge ahead of us.

In a finals situation anything can happen and usually does!

We have yet to put a full strength team on the field against South Africa during this series.

It will be a tough assignment we face but this Black Caps side over the last few years has had a knack of creating history and the fact that New Zealand has never won a tri-series in Aussie looms as something magical that every Black Cap on this tour would love to achieve.

It has been a tough eight days off the field and on. We have had to play four games then sit down and watch our destiny in this VB series determined between South Africa and Australia.

We knew last weekend that we were up against a very tough playing schedule and two very good teams. After such a great run in the first four games, the four games we have just played were a mixed bag.

Adelaide gave us victory against the Aussies and kept our run going against them. After a very comprehensive display with the bat Shane Bond ripped thru the Aussie top order to set up our victory.

Bondy has given our side a huge lift with his wicket-taking ability and is the main reason for our success to date, so it was great to see him rewarded with the man of the match award.

The next day we were up against a fresh South African side and this is the problem with double headers in a three-team competition.

If we had to play Aussie again then that's fair because both sides have the same conditions and physical ailments to deal with.

But when one side is fresh, it is always going to be very difficult.

We managed to hold SA for 40 overs in the field but then Jonty Rhodes and Mark Boucher got away in the last 10 and really put the game beyond us on a deteriorating wicket.

Our run chase never got going and the saddest thing about that loss was that we surrendered a bonus point.

After a lengthy meeting in the dressing room at the end of the South African game we headed to Melbourne knowing that victory here would knock Aussie out.

History will say about this game that Australia were in a position from which they should never have recovered and we should have had our fourth straight victory over Ausralia.

But the evening belonged to Michael Bevan and he played one of the best innings I have seen and although we had our chances to win it will and should be remembered for Bevan's deeds. And it kept the Aussies alive!

Perth was our last stop on this week of tough cricket and for Bond and myself the niggles had caught up with us and it was decided that rest was the best course of action.

We knew that only two results were best for us. A big victory or a big loss. When in our run chase we realised victory was not an option, survival in the competition became the only focus.

While at the beginning of the competition people were singing the praises of the bonus point I wonder if people had thought through the scenarios that were to be played out in front of them?

Who would ever have thought that South Africa would go into a match happy to lose to Australia?

So to the finals.

Obviously by the way South Africa played they wanted to play us in the finals and with the Black Caps having beaten South Africa only once in 16 matches who would blame them?

I am so thrilled to have made the finals and to have the opportunity to win the competition and I can assure our fans back home that the previous 16 games will mean nothing to us.

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Players/Umpires

Chris Cairns

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VB Series

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New Zealand