When Brendon McCullum testified at the trial of Chris Cairns, the defence asked why he had not come forward with his allegations much sooner than he did.
Many would not need to ask that question. It is not always easy to put somebody in trouble, especially when that person is somebody you have admired and played alongside. McCullum's eventual decision was courageous, not only because he knew at the time it could expose him to a grilling in court and also because the case could come down to technicalities of law.
But the verdict of not guilty for Cairns should never diminish this country's pride in McCullum and appreciation for what he has done for cricket in this country. As his lawyer Garth Gallaway has said, the judge told the jury they needed to believe at least two of the three people who gave direct evidence. Lou Vincent and his former wife were the others Mr Galloway refers to, and Vincent was tainted by his own admissions.
Pride and appreciation might not be the words that come to mind when we remember the parade of some of our best known cricketers in the London court over the past two months. At the very time the All Blacks were doing us proud, on and off the field, at the Rugby World Cup, across town in the Southwick Crown Court, cricket was under a cloud.
It is not much comfort that the matches at issue did not involve the New Zealand team; many of those featuring in the case had made their names wearing the black cap.
