Ban Ki-moon
A swashbuckling New Zealand all-rounder whose powerful hitting and lively seam bowling made him a match-winner in any format.
Born 1944 (age 82)·UN Secretary-General from 2007 to 2016·Birthday: June 13·The Silent Generation
Biography
In the pantheon of New Zealand cricket, Chris Cairns stood as a colossus of pure, athletic power. The son of former Black Cap Lance Cairns, he carved his own legacy as one of the most destructive all-rounders of his generation. With a high backlift and fearless intent, his batting could dismantle bowling attacks, most memorably in his blistering century off just 75 balls against India in 1999. As a bowler, his brisk medium-pace and ability to swing the ball provided crucial breakthroughs. While his Test career had peaks, it was in the one-day arena where he became a global star, a key figure in New Zealand's competitive sides of the late 1990s and early 2000s. His career, however, was also marked by significant injuries and, later, off-field controversies that cast a long shadow over his on-field heroics.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Ban was born in 1944, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Ban Was Born
The biggest hits of 1944
#1 Movie
Going My Way
Best Picture
Going My Way
Ban's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1944Born
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1949Started school
NATO founded; Mao proclaims the People's Republic of China
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $7,450Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Riders in the Sky" — Vaughn MonroeBest Picture: All the King's Men
1957Became a teenager
Sputnik launches the Space Age
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $10,550Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"All Shook Up" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: The Bridge on the River Kwai
1960Could drive
Kennedy-Nixon debates become first televised presidential debates
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,900Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Theme from A Summer Place" — Percy FaithBest Picture: The Apartment
1962Could vote
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1965Turned 21
US sends combat troops to Vietnam
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,600Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction" — The Rolling StonesBest Picture: The Sound of Music
1974Turned 30
Nixon resigns the presidency
Gas: $0.53/galHome: $22,600Min wage: $2.00/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"The Way We Were" — Barbra StreisandBest Picture: The Godfather Part II
1984Turned 40
Apple Macintosh introduced
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $59,800Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"When Doves Cry" — PrinceBest Picture: Amadeus
1994Turned 50
Nelson Mandela elected president of South Africa
Gas: $1.11/galHome: $90,400Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"The Sign" — Ace of BaseBest Picture: Forrest Gump
2004Turned 60
Indian Ocean tsunami kills over 230,000
Gas: $1.88/galHome: $157,300Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Yeah!" — UsherBest Picture: Million Dollar Baby
2014Turned 70
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2024Turned 80
AI reshapes industries; Paris Olympics
Gas: $3.31/galHome: $372,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"Espresso" — Sabrina CarpenterBest Picture: Anora
2026Age 82 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Scored 3,320 runs and took 218 wickets in 62 Test matches for New Zealand.
- Hit 200 sixes in ODI cricket, a record for a New Zealander at the time of his retirement.
- Was named one of Wisden's Cricketers of the Year in 2000.
- Played a pivotal role in New Zealand's run to the semi-finals of the 1999 Cricket World Cup.
Did You Know?
He is one of only 12 cricketers to have achieved the 'double' of 200 wickets and 3,000 runs in Test cricket.
In 2000, he famously hit a six off the last ball to win a ODI against India for his father, who was commentating.
He survived a near-fatal aortic dissection in 2021, requiring life-saving surgery.
His sister, Louise, is a former international netball player for New Zealand.
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