Brendon McCullum on Chris Cairns illness: Difficult subject to talk about

Former New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum has said that it is difficult to talk about Chris Cairns illness and understands how much pain the all-rounder's family must be going through.

The 51-year-old Cairns had experienced an aortic dissection in his heart last week and this is a serious condition in which a tear occurs in the inner layer of the body's main artery. Ever since then, the former all-rounder has undergone several operations but hasn't responded to treatment. Cairns was transferred to St Vincent's Hospital in Sydney on Tuesday.

"It is a difficult subject to obviously talk about. We have not seen each other for quite a long time. We have been reflecting on just how fine a cricketer he was when the news came through and what he did for the game and New Zealand cricket throughout his career as well," stuff.co.nz quoted McCullum as saying.

"Our relationship is unimportant in the whole thing, the fact is that Chris is a father and also a son to Lance and Sue. They have already had such tragedy in their life with the loss of Chris' sister a long time ago as well. It is a really difficult time for those people and I know the cricket community and all those who support the Cairns family will be suffering right now. Today my family and I are thinking of those people who are suffering," he added.

McCullum had joined the Black Caps in the early 2000s when Cairns was regarded as one of the finest all-rounders in the game. The relationship between the two broke down after McCullum testified against his former teammate in the 2015 perjury trial in London.

During the trial, Cairns was found not guilty of charges relating to alleged match-fixing.

A Sydney hospital on Wednesday confirmed that former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns is in a serious but stable condition in its intensive care unit.

"Mr. Cairns is in a serious but stable condition in intensive care at St Vincent's Hospital Sydney after being transferred from Canberra", stuff.co.nz quoted a hospital spokesperson as saying.

Cairns played 62 Tests, 215 ODIs, and two T20Is for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006.

The veteran all-rounder amassed 3,320 Test runs at an average of over 33 and took 218 wickets at an average of just over 29.

In ODIs, Cairns gathered 4,950 runs at 29.46 and took 201 wickets at 32.80. Cairns 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.

(ANI)

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