ICC Champions Trophy : Heroes of the Finals

#2 Chris Cairns – New Zealand v India (2000)

Chris Cairns still resides as the villain in the hearts of many Indian cricket fans. The 2nd edition of ICC Champions Trophy was hosted by Kenya. The final match was played at Gymkhana Club Ground, Nairobi where New Zealand’s captain Stephen Fleming won the toss and decided to have a bowl first. Batting first, the Indian team led by Sourav Ganguly posted a decent total of 264. Skipper Sourav Ganguly played a captain’s knock of 117 runs from 130 balls.

He was well supported by the master-blaster Sachin Tendulkar who scored 69 runs in 83 deliveries, an inning which was filled with ten boundaries and a solitary six. But after the solid start, none of the India batters could capitalize. After a first-wicket partnership of 141 runs, India lost the momentum somewhat as the middle order collapsed.

The middle-order which boasted of big names like Rahul Dravid, Yuvraj Singh, Vinod Kambli and Robin Singh failed to impress. The 30-year-old Chris Cairns was the most economical bowler of the Kiwis, conceding just 40 runs in 10 overs. India had a good start with the bowl as Venkatesh Prasad and Anil Kumble were hunting in pairs.

New Zealand struggled at 132 for 5 in the 24th over but once again, Cairns was the savior. He stayed there till the end and scored 102 runs from 113 balls. His innings comprised of 8 boundaries and 2 sixes. It was a close match and New Zealand chased the target with two balls to spare in a match that went down to the wire and will be remembered for a long time.