Chris Cairns' match-winning century in Brisbane tonight highlighted the sheer quality of his batsmanship under the severest pressure.

This was an innings to savour.

His fourth ODI century, the first against someone other than India was achieved under outstanding circumstances. It ended a six-game losing streak to South Africa. It took New Zealand to the head of the VB Series and one game away, with four games remaining, from a place in the finals.

New Zealand were in strife when he arrived at the wicket, the top order having failed to get a good start yet again. Just how much Nathan Astle is central to New Zealand's opening play in ODIs has never been clearer.

But there was something about Cairns' attitude from the minute he strode to the crease. Whether it was intentional or not, there was an air of a job needing to be done and him being the man to do it.

It is the sort of approach he showed during his last ODI century in the ICC KnockOut won by New Zealand over India in Kenya. It has been seen on other occasions as well, such as when he scored his maiden Test century, against Zimbabwe in the summer of 1995/96.

When the mood takes him, and the elements of his batting come together, he is fit to rank among the highest order of stroke players to have graced the game. There was nothing of the bludgeoner about this innings. It was classical in its execution, timing and pacing as the overs wound down.

His control in the dying moments of tonight's game was especially outstanding.

Having earlier added 62 runs by sensible, and unpanicked accumulation for the sixth wicket with Chris Harris, who scored 24 off 42 balls, Cairns then combined with Adam Parore, playing the sort of support role that was ideal under the circumstances, while 84 unbroken runs were added. Parore fed the strike to Cairns as often as he was able while making the odd decisive blow himself.

As the pair got the required runs down to parity with the balls left, there was an inevitability about the win, especially with the wickets in hand.

However, New Zealanders have been too long denied consistency of excellence under pressure in these matches in Australia to ever take anything for granted.

They needn't have worried. The coolest person in the middle was Cairns.

In the space of 20 balls, he raced from 67 to 102 with nonchalant ease. A four to long off from Mikhaya Ntini warned the South Africans that the charge was on.

In the 46th over, bowled by Steve Elworthy, the first ball he faced, the fifth of the over, was speared to third man where Boeta Dipenaar committed himself to trying to catch the ball. He didn't get to it, nor did he cover it, and the ball went for four - a bonus from a calculated risk.

A four off Jacques Kallis in the 47th over to midwicket took him to 84. Shaun Pollock bowled an eight-run over then off the fifth ball of Kallis' next over, the issue was put beyond doubt - a straight six, the Cairns special, back over the bowler's head.

Cairns pinched a single off the last ball to face the next over from Pollock. He was on 98 when he faced Pollock for the last over.

A four to wide long on from the first ball gave him his deserved century, New Zealand the win and further cemented Cairns' place among the genuine matchwinners of the game.

Cairns hit three sixes and nine fours in his innings and provided his side with an example that must surely see a strengthening in the batting approach in the latter half of this series.

The batting came on top of an outstanding effort by the bowlers earlier in the game to pull South Africa back from a galloping score that looked capable of getting close to 300.

The South Africans lost six wickets for 37 runs as Cairns and James Franklin broke through and then allowed Shane Bond to come in and tidy up the tail with a fiery spell.

This New Zealand side is shaping impressively. It hasn't fired all its shots yet and has plenty to aspire to. If it can arrive at the finals tuned to a peak then better things can yet be expected of this side.

And if that means more batting of the quality exhibited by Cairns tonight, then this already outstanding series has yet more heights to scale.

New Zealand have broken through the South African psychological barrier they have built up. But the real test is to do it consistently and reverse the process so the South Africans feel the heat.

© CricInfo