With his 29th birthday fast approaching, however, time is running out. The World Cup may be his last chance to make an impact at a major event.For a hugely talented `natural', Cairns, son of Test player Lance, has promised much but delivered significantly less.

Everything looks so right about him on the outside that one is tempted to suspect problems on the inside.

Cairns is a nicely-balanced right-arm pace bowler and a classical-looking batsman. At his best, he is a pleasure to watch.

But think of Cairns and inevitably you remember sporadic, murderous performances rather than extended runs of success.

There was his Test hundred off 86 balls against Zimbabwe in Auckland in 1996. Or his 75-ball century this year against India, the 13th fastest international one-day century in history.

Nottinghamshirefans still remember every one of his record 61 sixes he heaved for them during the 1995/96 season.

Look at the body of his work, however, and there are more sketches and doodles than finished canvases.

Injuries to his back and feet, hampering his bowling, have not helped. Nor has playing in an unsuccessful side. Cairns, however, has been unable to inspire those around him as New ealand greats Hadlee and Martin Crowe did before him.

No one now seriously talks about Cairns in the same breath as the game's legends. They simply do not inhabit the same stratoshpere. After 10 years of cricket, the New Zealander boasts 109 Test wickets. Kapil Dev ended his career with 434.

Cairns' record, however, also fails to compare with that of South African Shaun Pollock, the benchmark for today's all-rounders.

Pollock's Test wickets cost him 21.60 runs apiece and 23.21 in one-dayers. Cairns is around 10 runs more expensive in both formats. The New Zealander cannot keep up with the bat either. He averages less than 28in Tests, almost five less than Pollock despite having played some games as a specialist batsman, and under 27 in one-dayers compared to the South African's 29.55.

New Zealand's former coach Glenn Turner, in a recently published book, suggested Cairns did not have the character or discipline to exploit his talent and claimed he often exploded with "uncontrollable rage" when told to follow team rules.His critical view is shared by many New Zealanders.

The World Cup will provide Cairns with the perfect stage - the biggest stage of all - to rebut the criticism. The omens, however, are not good. To date, in 11 previous cup outings, he had managed just one half-century and a meagre four wickets at 92 runs apiece.