Cairns shows his anger in court

Chris Cairns arrives at the High Court in London. Photo / Getty Images

Former New Zealand cricketer Chris Cairns was escorted out of the High Court in London overnight after he reacted angrily to an abrupt termination of the fifth day of his libel case against the former head of the Indian Cricket League.

The ICL commissioner Lalit Modi alleged on Twitter in January 2010 that Cairns was involved in match fixing in the 2008 season of the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), while captain of the Chandigarh Lions.

Earlier this week Cairns strenuously denied the accusations, stating he "was not a cheat" and had not offered teammates money to cheat. He said Modi's accusation had turned his reputation to "dust".

But overnight he was escorted out of court my a member of his own legal team after he gesticulated in the defendant's direction when he found out Modi would not give evidence in his own defence, The Guardian reported.

South African all-rounder Andrew Hall, who succeeded Cairns as the captain of Chandigarh Lions in the ICL, gave evidence earlier in the day. He said in a meeting with six Indian players from the Chandigarh team, three had implicated Cairns in match-fixing, but the other three did not.

He had concerns Cairns had been framed by the Indian players, and worried the same would happen to him, he said.

The day before former anti-corruption officer of the Indian Cricket League Howard Beer took to the stand and said he had "no doubts" Cairns was involved in match fixing, based on the evidence he gathered.

Mr Beer said the investigations into match-fixing in the rebel Twenty20 league were "shambolic", but the "overall context" of the evidence he gathered pointed to Cairns being involved in fixing matches, Cricinfo reported.

Cairns' ICL career ended when he was effectively suspended for not declaring an ankle injury, exacerbated by a 1000km charity walk in memory of his late sister.

However Beer recalled telling Cairns' New Zealand teammate, Hamish Marshall, who also played in the ICL, it was "no secret Cairns had been sent home for match-fixing".

Beer said the October 2008 meeting at the Shangri La hotel, where Cairns' contract was cancelled, involved a conversation between Cairns and then ICL executive director, former England captain Tony Greig, about corruption allegations.

In the meeting, Greig allegedly compared Cairns to disgraced former South African Hansie Cronje, who was banned from the sport in 2000.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Cairnsy, but nobody would have thought that Hansie Cronje was involved in match-fixing," Mr Greig allegedly said to Cairns, Mr Beer told the court.

Mr Beer told the court he did not stay in the meeting until the end, Cricinfo reported, and the next day learnt Cairns had been dismissed.

He said he was told by Mr Greig the league would announce Cairns failed to declare an injury as the reason for his suspension.

Mr Beer said the ICL then put his corruption inquiry on hold.

Cairns represented New Zealand in 62 tests, 215 one-day internationals and two Twenty20s. He made his test debut against Australia in 1989 and finished his international career with a Twenty20 match against West Indies in February 2006.