Last Updated:
Chris Cairns played an unbeaten knock of 102 runs from 113 balls against India in the final of the 2000 Champions Trophy, which was staged at the Gymkhana Club Ground in Nairobi on October 15, 2000.
New Zealand beat India by 4 wickets in the final of 2000 Champions Trophy. (Picture Credit: AFP)
India will face New Zealand in the final of the Champions Trophy 2025 on Sunday (March 9). The match, scheduled to take place at Dubai International Cricket Stadium from 2:30 PM IST onwards, will be a repeat of the 2000 Champions Trophy final, which was also played between the two teams. In those days, the Champions Trophy was known as the ICC Knockout Trophy.
The summit clash was at Gymkhana Club Ground in Nairobi on October 15, 2000. The Indian men’s cricket team entered the final after defeating 1999 ODI World Cup winners Australia by 20 runs in the quarterfinal and defending champions South Africa by 95 runs in the semifinal, but in the summit clash, Kiwis stunned them to win the first-ever ICC title in history.
New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming won the toss and invited India to bat first, after which, riding on captain Sourav Ganguly (117) and Sachin Tendulkar’s (69) 141-run stand for the first wicket, India posted a total of 264 runs on the board for the loss of six wickets in 50 overs.
The century by Ganguly in the final was his second triple-digit score in a row in the 2000 Champions Trophy, and it is still the record for the highest individual score by any batter in the final of the Champions Trophy.
The target of 265 runs was a challenging one for Kiwis, and it became even more difficult after they lost five batters for just 132 runs in 23.2 overs. But from there on, all-rounder Chris Cairns joined hands with No. 7 batter Chris Harris and added 122 runs for the sixth wicket to crush India’s hopes.
Cairns remained unbeaten on 102 runs from 113 balls and, during his stay at the crease, hammered eight fours and two sixes, whereas Harris contributed 46 runs from 72 balls with the help of seven fours.
For his superb show with the bat in the 265-run chase which New Zealand achieved in 49.4 overs for the losss of six wickets, Cairns won the Player of the Match award.
For India, Venkatesh Prasad picked up 3 wickets for 27 runs in seven overs, and two Kiwis batters were sent back to the pavilion by Anil Kumble, who conceded 55 runs in his quota of nine overs.
Brief Scores
India: 264/6 in 50 overs (Sourav Ganguly 117, Sachin Tendulkar 69, Rahul Dravid 22; Scott Styris 2/53, Nathan Astle 1/46, Geoff Allott 1/54)
New Zealand: 265/6 in 49.4 overs (Chris Cairns 102*, Chris Harris 46, Nathan Astle 37; Venkatesh Prasad 3/27, Anil Kumble 2/55, Sachin Tendulkar 1/38)
Result: New Zealand won by 4 wickets
Player of the Match: Chris Cairns
For more in-depth coverage of the Champions Trophy, check out the latest Points Table to see where your favorite team stands. Stay updated on the tournament’s top performers with the Most Runs and Most Wickets leaderboards. Keep following for all the latest updates!
