Home bias and the need to pander a wanton ego demanded Brett Lee be named Man of the Match at Brisbane but for any sane observers the true star of last week's drawn 1st Test was undoubtedly New Zealand colossus Chris Cairns.

The 31-year-old all-rounder was integral to the game's eventual climax, smashing more than 100 runs (61 and 43) and claiming six wickets (5-146 and 1-29) as New Zealand came within a whisker of a shock last day victory.

The Man of the Match adjudicators might have been blinded by partisan indulgence but Steve Waugh, the indomitable Aussie captain, refused to be taken in by the Lee sham and afterwards singled out Cairns for specific praise – a rare compliment indeed from one of the game's more curmudgeonly judges.

"There's a lot of really good all-rounders but Cairns is definitely as good as anyone and he will get better," acknowledged Waugh. "We will certainly be talking about him at the team meeting down in Hobart."

It was a view backed up by vice-captain Adam Gilchrist, arguably one of Cairns' leading challengers for the mantle of No 1 all-rounder in the world.

"He continues to back himself. He is flexible. We have just got to come up with new ideas as to how we think we can counter him earlier than we do at the moment.

"He is making an impact every time he bats. He's obviously an outstanding cricketer and has really risen to the challenge of playing us," said Gilchrist.

Rising to the challenge has been the theme of Cairns' life ever since he was born in Picton, Marlborough, on 13 June 1970.

His exceptional ball skills were evident from an early age and despite being a gifted rugby player Cairns Jr opted for the harsher route to fame when he decided to follow in the footsteps of his father Lance, a burly hard-hitting all-rounder who remains a cult figure in New Zealand's proud sporting history, and pursue a professional cricket career.

International recognition came early when he was capped as a promising if rough-edged 18-year-old in 1989 (against Australia at Perth) but the shadow of his father and a series of disciplinary skirmishes dogged his early career and restricted him to just eight Tests in four years.

Surgery on his troublesome left knee further ruled him out for more than a year in the mid-1990s and Cairns was sidelined once again at the tail end of 2000 when he went under the surgeon's knife again, this time on his right knee.

On each occasion he has fought back to prove his doubters wrong, most notably in the opening Australian Test last week – his first for 14 months – when he almost rallied New Zealand to a breathtaking victory.

But despite making his debut 12 years ago last week's Test was only Cairns' 50th of his career, a notable milestone for most players but one he should have long since passed given good health and a fair run of form.

His ability to return after serious injury hints at a Teutonic inner strength, an asset he utilises on the pitch by taking up battle against anyone willing to step in the ring. In recent times that has best been illustrated by his performances against Australia, the unquestioned top dogs of international cricket for the past five years.

While others struggle to raise their game for the big stage Cairns obviously revels in the sheer challenge of it all, relishing nothing more than sticking one over on New Zealand's bullying neighbours.

Throughout his Test career to date he has scored 2,676 runs at 33.03, but his record against Australia is 793 runs at 36.05 and includes one hundred and six fifties in 12 games.

The last time he played a series against them – at home in March 2000 - Cairns topped the batting averages at 56.83 and together with Daniel Vettori was also the only bowler to pose any serious threat.

Interestingly his 5-146 at Brisbane last week was his first five-wicket haul against Steve Waugh's men but his ability to gain movement both in the air and off the pitch marks him out as a potent, and potentially match-winning, force.

The sheer scale of his impact on the current generation can be gauged when his Test feats to date are set in an historical context of New Zealand cricket.

His 177-wicket tally has already lifted him to second in the all-time list of Kiwi wicket-takers – behind Richard Hadlee's 431 – while his 2,684 runs leaves him 12th in the run-scorers chart, just 25 runs behind 10th-placed Nathan Astle.

He is, without doubt, a talismanic figure for Stephen Fleming's team but one who also feeds off the energy and commitment of others as he gears up for battle. One man alone, no matter how talented, cannot create a winning team - as Hadlee found in the 1980s - and Cairns is usually at his best when backed up by the likes of Dion Nash and Daniel Vettori.

Of his 50 Test caps to date Cairns has only played 14 times in harness with Nash and Vettori but the results make for fascinating reading.

Cairns' overall Test record shows 13 wins (26%), 18 draws (36%) and 19 defeats (38%) from 50 caps to date, but when Nash and Vettori have also been in the team the results have shown a marked increase with seven wins (50%), five draws (35.7%) and only two defeats (14.3%).

The benefit of having all three playing together is obvious but unfortunately for Cairns, and his captain Fleming, Nash has already flown home injured from the tour. That immediately puts more pressure on Cairns to perform, a challenge he'll take up with relish. Whether his team-mates can follow suit remains to be seen.

21 Nov, 2001