beaten and demoralised, at 44–6, chasing Australia's score of 302–8. Dennis Lillee, who had just waved off New Zealand's last recognised batsman, awaited the arrival of Cairns. Lillee's first ball was a bouncer that hit Cairns on the head. The batsman's response was to hit two sixes in three balls off Ken MacLeay, before hitting two consecutive sixes off Rodney Hogg, and in the next over, doing the same to Lillee. The highlight was undoubtedly a one-handed shot off Lillee, which soared over the fine leg fence. Cairns' dismissal was an anti-climax; out for 52, offering a simple catch to Steve Smith at cover off the bowling of Geoff Lawson. "He backs off again and thrashes that one! And that's cleared Graeme Wood's head at mid-off! That's the sixth one! That must be an incredible bat he's got! It must be made of extremely good English willow." "Very heavy English willow ! And there goes Excalibur into action again! Straight over the top of long-off, one of the most difficult shots in the book and umpire Tony Crafter's arms are growing heavy, he's been putting them above his head so often he's getting tired!" - TCN Nine commentators Ian Chappell and Frank Tyson, 13 February 1983. New Zealand eventually lost the match by 149 runs, and the Finals series 2–0, to an Australian team that had been markedly inferior in the preceding qualifying stages of the competition. Despite Cairns' heroics (he also hit a spectacular six over cover off Lawson in the First Final at the SCG) Richard Hadlee's absence from both finals was probably the reason for New Zealand's 'shattered dream'. Nevertheless, the New Zealand team, and Cairns in particular, received unprecedented adulation when they returned home for a three-match series against England, who had lost the Ashes 2-1 and had failed to make the WSC Finals in their recently completed Australian tour. England were desperate to salvage something from their tour down under and 'The Rothmans Cup' was the last prize on offer. New Zealand whitewashed the hapless 'Poms', winning with three memorable performances to sold-out crowds in Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch. Cairns was again the star. He hit sixes in all three games, with one of them leaving Wellington's Basin Reserve and ending up in a busy street outside the ground. In the 1983/84 home series against England Cairns took his best test figures of 7-143 off