'Penniless' Cairns: I will never give up

NZ Herald

5 Dec, 2015 06:51 PM3 mins to read

Chris Cairns has questioned why Brendon McCullum did not come forward before his libel trial against Indian businessman and cricket administrator Lalit Modi in 2012. Photo / Chris Gorman

Chris Cairns opens up about his six years of litigation

•Chris Cairns has opened up about his six years of litigation.

•"For six years now I have been in litigation. Beat up, yes. Exhausted, yes. Penniless, yes. Will I continue to fight, absolutely," he writes in a Fairfax column today.

•He questions why Brendon McCullum did not come forward before his libel trial against Indian businessman and cricket administrator Lalit Modi in 2012.

•When the match fixing story broke in December 2013, Cairns says he had no idea it was him that was under investigation.

Chris Cairns says he's beat up, exhausted and penniless after six years of litigation. But he says he will never give up.

•It started with a cryptic phone call ... Inside the match-fixing saga that led to Chris Cairns perjury trial

In an opinion piece for Fairfax, the former Black Cap wrote that he would continue to fight to clear his name.

"Absolutely."

Last week, Cairns, 45, walked free after the jury in a nine-week trial in London found him not guilty of perjury.

Crown witnesses included Black Caps captain Brendon McCullum, disgraced former cricketer Lou Vincent and Vincent's ex wife, Ellie Riley.

In January 2010, one of the most powerful figures in world cricket, Lalit Modi, publicly accused him of being a match-fixer. Cairns sued Modi for defamation and won in March 2012.

When news broke in late 2013 that three former New Zealand players were being investigated for match fixing, he did not know he was one, he wrote.

During the course of the libel trial in the High Court of London, Cairns said he "never ever cheated" at cricket or even contemplated it. According to the Crown prosecution, that statement was a lie under oath - or perjury - hence this year's trial for which Cairns was found not guilty last week.

Cairns is now set to go back to court, with The Telegraph reporting he will defend a £1.5 million ($3.4 million) civil claim for fraud brought by Modi.

"I now face Lalit Modi, again," Cairns wrote today. "McCullum and Vincent are his key witnesses in his civil case in London. Vincent has currently incurred thirteen life bans from cricket (one would probably suffice) for his corrupt deeds and, as the jury in my trial was told, he has kept all the cash from his criminal deceit. The current NZ cricket captain now has to decide if he will support Modi in his upcoming action.

"But there is still a real head-scratcher regarding McCullum. Why didn't he come forward to Modi before my 2012 libel trial? McCullum had given a statement to the ICC in February 2011 with Dan Vettori present and both men could have helped Modi out then.

So, why now?"