Earlier in the month, the former all-rounder had suffered an aortic dissection, which is a tear in the body's main artery.
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Things have gotten bleaker for New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns recently. The 51-year-old was undergoing emergency heart surgery on Friday during which he suffered a stroke. As a result, the former cricketer is now a victim of paralysis. Cairns had suffered what was being described as a major medical event earlier in August in Canberra, Australia. Following the episode, he was on life support until last week. Cairns had an emergency heart surgery performed due to that reason. However, instead of being smooth sailing, the 51-year-old suffered a stroke during the process and is left paralysed in his legs as confirmed by his lawyer.
Earlier in the month, the former all-rounder had suffered an aortic dissection, which is a tear in the body’s main artery. As a result, he was kept on life support for a number of days before undergoing heart surgery. His lawyer, Aaron Lloyd, said that Cairns will now begin a significant rehabilitation process at a specialist spinal hospital in Australia. “During the life-saving emergency heart surgery Chris underwent in Sydney he suffered a stroke in his spine. This has resulted in paralysis in his legs,” the statement released by Lloyd said. “Chris and his family now want to focus on spending time together where possible and making whatever progress they can in his recovery. “They also appreciate the way in which their privacy has been respected,” it added.
Cairns, the son of former Test player Lance Cairns, played 62 Tests and 215 one-day internationals for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006. He averaged 29.4 with the ball and 33.53 with the bat, including 87 sixes, which was a world record at the time. He is one of the players that can be considered a Kiwi legend. Despite the life-threatening condition, Llyod’s statement did not mention anything about the cricketer being in danger of losing his life. One might assume that he is out of that particular danger as of yet. However, it is still unclear whether he will be able to use his legs again. It would be a tragedy if that is not the case.
He was an exceptional player for his country and had a great career in the sport. However, his accolades were overshadowed by match-fixing allegations, strongly denied by Cairns, that resulted in two court cases. He was cleared by the court on both occasions but said that his reputation had been compromised due to the allegations.
He had allegations of match-fixing in India as captain of the Chandigarh Lions in the defunct Indian Cricket League in 2008. The cricketer, however, denied all allegations and fought a number of legal battles to get himself out of trouble. It got so serious that he had to take a job with the Auckland Council to drive trucks and clean bus shelters to foot the legal bills.
Former Kiwi pacer Dion Nash, who is also a good friend of Cairns, said that he was working very hard to support his family at the time.
“He (Cairns) is trying really hard and supporting his family the best way he can. He’s not moping around, he’s showing guts and doing hard work by cleaning bus shelters,” said Nash.
“All I can do is support him, but as a friend, it is really hard to watch his name being dragged through the mud with no conclusion in sight. He’s a champion guy and he will come through this stronger,” Nash added.
