Date:22/04/2005 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2005/04/22/stories/2005042206822000.htm

Sport - Cricket

Team culture essential, says Chris Cairns

Special Correspondent

Mumbai: New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns credited Pakistan's success in India to `Team culture.' In Mumbai to launch a product, Cairns said: "Pakistan has shown recently that team culture is stronger than the individual. We have always seen Pakistan teams with star individuals.

But they never played in cohesion. Now that Bob Woolmer has brought them together, they are playing some good cricket'' said Cairns.

The 34-year-old known for his aggressive batting responded to a variety of issues, including the recent remark made by former Australian fast bowler Rodney Hogg that Test cricket is not competitive these days after Australia's resounding success in New Zealand.

"His career was at times erratic and I think his comments are a bit erratic. The Australians are known to be arrogant to be saying that the bowling is thin all over the world except Australia and England.

"In the era that we have been playing in, Australia has been gifted with two of the greatest bowlers in Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne. When these two did not play against India two years ago, the Test series was drawn. When McGrath and Warne finish, Australia will maintain a high level and probably be still close to No. 1 on the field. But I think it's a pretty short-sighted view of Australia at the moment.''

When asked to distinguish the captaincy styles of Steve Waugh and Ricky Pointing, Cairns said that at the moment even his mother could lead the Australian team. "It's not a team that one has to really inspire. It's a pretty special team to have the amount of players and match winners it's got. So it would not be very difficult to lead them. The majority of the Australians are over 30 and so they have a great experience." Cairns termed Michael Clarke as an `okay' batsman.

Injury plagued

He said New Zealand was handicapped by injuries to key players and hence the loss to Australia. "We need to have everybody on the field. The Australians hold their own even if a couple of players are injured. They may not always win. In the last series there was no Shane Bond, Scott Styris, Darryl Tuffey, Jacob Oram, Ian Butler.

"They are all part of the team and it's important to keep the guys fit. To win Test matches, you need very good strike bowlers. That's exactly the reason for the re-emergence of England. It has Steve Harmison, Matthew Hoggard, Andy Flintoff."

About Stephen Fleming's long tenure as captain he said: "He has the respect of his peers. His team support him 100 per cent and they would not want anybody else as their leader."