The New Zealand cricket team were ejected out of a Durban nightclub after Chris Cairns was involved in a drunken brawl during the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup encounter.
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New Zealand has a reputation as a gentleman team in world cricket. Their sportsmanship and camaraderie with their opponents and fans alike have made them the most liked team in the world. Under the likes of Kane Williamson and Brendon McCullum, New Zealand has shown that nice guys do not finish last. But, at the start of the 21st century, New Zealand was still trying to carve a niche in the cricketing world. Results in ICC events made them a good team but off the field, there were some issues.
The main incident that tarnished their image of nice guys happened in the 2003 ICC Cricket World Cup held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Kenya. The event was plagued by political upheavals in Zimbabwe and a bomb blast by terrorists in Mombasa in Kenya. England had decided to boycott their World Cup game against Zimbabwe in Harare. However, the decision by New Zealand to not tour Kenya for their World Cup game made them unpopular among many people. However, this was just the start of more bad news in the coming days.
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On February 21, 2003, the decision was made by New Zealand to forfeit their game against Kenya which cost them two vital points. They were drowning their sorrows at a nightclub in Durban. With alcohol flowing in a big way at the nightclub, it was only a matter of time before the New Zealand players became intoxicated. At the center of the entire matter, it was former Kiwi all-rounder Chris Cairns.
He and many of the New Zealand players got into a scuffle, with Cairns removing his shirt. Cairns then thundered out the Haka, a traditional Maori war dance that is associated with the dominant All Blacks Rugby Team. Cairns started singing the Haka and that did not go down well with many South African patrons in Durban. The existing Springbok-All Blacks rivalry probably contributed to the situation.
Cairns and the entire New Zealand cricket team were ejected out of the nightclub. For all his troubles, Cairns was hit on the back of the head before collapsing on the pavement outside. This was the final straw for the New Zealand public. Unruly, aggressive, and scorned by opponents, the players were even accused of unsporting conduct on the field. From the land of the All Blacks, cricketers were not looked at in high esteem.
New Zealand had only won one major ICC tournament and that was the 2000 ICC Champions Trophy. In the subsequent years, New Zealand struggled to get respect on the field and off it. In 2012, their lowest point came in the Cape Town Test against South Africa. They were bowled out for 45 and that saw New Zealand reach the abyss. But, under McCullum and Kane Williamson, New Zealand is one of the best teams on and off the field.
For the likes of Chris Cairns, he retired in 2006. He kept his reputation as one of the best all-rounders intact. But, no one likes to talk about the 2003 ICC World Cup. Although they beat West Indies and knocked South Africa out, their losses to Sri Lanka, Australia and India ensured they did not get to the semifinals. The 2003 World Cup remains the only World Cup loss for New Zealand against India in the 21st century in ICC events.
