The “golden boy” of international cricket promised players up to £80,000 a game if they helped him to fix matches for gamblers, his perjury trial heard on Wednesday.
Chris Cairns, a former New Zealand captain, is accused of lying during the £1.4 million libel action he brought against an Indian cricket official who used Twitter to accuse him of cheating.
Southwark crown court heard that Brendon McCullum, the current New Zealand captain, would claim that his predecessor tried to recruit him for match fixing.
Sasha Wass, QC, for the prosecution, said: “Mr Cairns is described by his fellow cricketers as a hero and role model. He was the golden boy in the cricket world whom every cricketer wanted to emulate. The prosecution can demonstrate Mr Cairns had been involved in cheating at cricket, or match-fixing, for some time.”
Mr Cairns denies perjury and perverting the course of justice. Andrew Fitch-Holland, his friend and a barrister, also denies perverting the course of justice.
Mr Cairns played for New Zealand for 17 years. After retiring in 2006 he became captain of the Chandigarh Lions in the Indian Cricket League but was suspended in 2008 due to an ankle injury.
Two years later Lalit Modi, chairman of the rival Indian Premier League, claimed that Mr Cairns had been removed from the “auction list” of players “due to his past record of match-fixing”.
Mr Cairns sued Mr Modi in the High Court in London and repeatedly said in statements and on oath that he had never cheated at cricket. He was awarded £1.4 million in damages and costs.
Ms Wass said that despite Mr Cairns’ denials other players claimed that he “openly boasted” that match fixing did not matter in the Indian league. He believed that he was “untouchable”, she said.
Mr McCullum claims that he was playing for the Kolkata Knight Riders when Mr Cairns said that he could get him £30,000 to £78,000 per game for match-fixing. He did not report this immediately because Mr Cairns was a “hero of his”, the court heard. However, he did tell fellow New Zealand players Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond, the court heard, and made an official report during the Cricket World Cup in India in 2011.
Ricky Ponting, the former Australia captain, recalled Mr McCullum taking a phone call which he said later was Mr Cairns making a “business proposal”.
Lou Vincent, another former New Zealand international who played for Chandigarh Lions, admitted to match-fixing at the request of Mr Cairns, the court heard.
The trial continues.
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