Chris Cairns, former New Zealand all-rounder is in an intensive care unit at a Sydney hospital after undergoing cardiovascular surgery following a major heart incident in Canberra last week. St Vincent’s Hospital in Sydney said Chris Cairns, who was admitted on Tuesday, was in “a serious but stable condition” in intensive care.
His wife Melanie Cairns said the cricketer had surgery in Canberra after a “major medical event” late last week but the seriousness of his condition required him to be transferred to St Vincent’s for another operation.
Chris Cairns Suffers An Aortic Dissection In Main Artery And Is In Intensive Care Unit In A Sydney Hospital
Chris Cairns has reportedly collapsed in Australia and is on life support. As per reports, he suffered a major medical emergency – an aortic dissection – in Canberra last week. This is when a tear occurs in the inner layer of the body’s main artery.
The Black Caps legend has reportedly undergone several operations while in hospital but has not responded to treatment as hoped. Chris Cairns will be transferred to a specialist hospital in Sydney soon.
“Chris’ family and friends are heartened by the respectful and warm manner in which this terrible news has been reported, and received by the public, both in New Zealand and around the world, and thanks to everyone for their warm wishes, prayers, and kind words,” she said in a statement on Wednesday.
New Zealand media outlet Newshub on Tuesday reported 51-year-old Chris Cairns had suffered an aortic dissection – a tear in the body’s main artery.
“We’re deeply concerned to hear of Chris Cairns’ medical emergency,” Cricket New Zealand boss David White said in a statement.
“Our thoughts are with his family in Aus and here in NZ. Chris is a much loved husband, father, and son – and remains one of our finest all-rounders. We hope he’s able to make a full recovery.”
Chris Cairns played 62 Tests, 215 One-Day Internationals, and two Twenty20 Internationals for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006. His father Lance Cairns also represented New Zealand in cricket.
News of his health setback rocked New Zealand, where former teammates expressed sympathy for his family.
“It’s absolutely devastating. It’s the worst news you could possibly get,” former New Zealand teammate Chris Harris told local media.
In 62 Test matches, Chris Cairns has scored 3320 runs and scalped 218 wickets. Whereas in the ODIs he has chipped in 4950 runs and has picked up 201 wickets. He was named as one of five Wisden Cricketers of the year in 2000 and is the son of former New Zealand all-rounder Lance Cairns. He went on to become a commentator with Sky Sport.
Chris Cairns Denied Any Wrongdoing After Allegations Of Match-Fixing In Defunct ICL In 2008
Chris Cairns has lived in Canberra for several years. After retiring from international cricket, he was the subject of allegations of match-fixing in India as captain of Chandigarh Lions in the defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL) in 2008. He denied any wrongdoing and fought several legal battles to clear his name, winning a libel case against former Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi in 2012.
In 2015, he was cleared of perjury in relation to the libel case after being charged by Britain’s Crown Prosecution Service. Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who testified against Chris Cairns during the perjury trial, said the cricket community was suffering along with Chris Cairns’s family. Former New Zealand cricketers Brendon McCullum and Lou Vincent both claimed Chris Cairns approached them about fixing matches.
“It’s a difficult subject to obviously talk about. We haven’t seen each other for quite a long time,” McCullum, a host on New Zealand radio station SENZ, said.
“Our relationship is unimportant in the whole thing, the fact is that Chris is a father and also a son to Lance and (mother) Sue. Today my family and myself are thinking of those people who are suffering.”
Post his retirement, Chris Cairns worked in Dubai as a diamond merchant in 2010. In March 2012, Chris Cairns successfully sued former Indian Premier League (IPL) commissioner Lalit Modi in a liberal case. However, on 14 September 2013, he was charged with perjury in England.
With the costs of legal proceedings hitting his family, Chris Cairns took up the job of cleaning bus shelters to make the ends meet. As a result, he is one of the few cricketers who went from stardom to poverty.