Chris Cairns pledges innocence before trial

Former teammates will testify as Kiwi cricketer's perjury case kicks off this week. Photo / Dean Purcell

Attack will be Chris Cairns' defence when the New Zealand cricketing great stands trial for perjury in London tomorrow.

A jury for the month-long trial is expected to be selected in the Southwark Crown Court tomorrow but the case could be adjourned for up to a week, as legal arguments take place before the judge.

Cairns will then go head-to-head against a number of former teammates who have accused him of match-fixing.

The 45-year-old has pleaded not guilty to a charge of making a false statement in saying that he "never, ever cheated at cricket and nor would [he] contemplate doing such a thing" in a successful defamation case he took against former Indian Premier League boss Lalit Modi.

The libel case heard evidence of when Cairns was in Delhi at the end of his career in the rival Indian Cricket League. In summing up, the judge said Modi had not proved wrongdoing on Cairns' part.

Cairns has consistently denied any involvement in match-fixing and plans to attack the credibility of those giving evidence against him, including former close friend and current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum.

His legal team has obtained confidential "information" between McCullum and his former mental skills coach, Kerry Schwalger, which may be entered as evidence in the trial despite a High Court injunction that stopped publication of the details last year. Cairns previously described the three-year delay between the alleged match-fixing approach and McCullum reporting it "extraordinary".

Another key witness is Kiwi Lou Vincent and his ex-wife Elly Riley. Vincent confessed to multiple counts of match-fixing across three continents and received 11 life bans from the England and Wales Cricket Board.

Before the perjury charge 12 months ago, Cairns said Vincent "has been caught cheating and seeks to mitigate his sins by blaming others. The allegations he and his ex-wife make against me are despicable lies."

Shane Bond and several other former New Zealand players are believed to have given statements to the Metropolitan Police, and New Zealand Cricket boss David White confirmed he is a witness.

Cairns is prepared for a "gruelling" trial where he can "face my accusers in an open forum, with some rigour and proper process around that, so that I can clear my name once and for all".

"I hope that, through this forum, significant additional information will be flushed out that will help people to better assess the situation, as well as the character and motives of the parties involved," he said after his arrest. "But I have nothing to hide and I will do whatever it takes to once again prove my innocence."

The trial at the Southwark Crown Court is expected to take four weeks.