Cairns vows to clear his name

AUCKLAND: New Zealand legend Chris Cairns on Friday revealed two former Black Caps captains testified to a probe into his alleged match-fixing and said he was determined to clear his name.

Cairns returned to Auckland after traveling to London for interviews with anti-corruption authorities saying he now had a clearer picture of the "absurd, bizarre and scary" allegations against him. "Each and every allegation against me that I have cheated at cricket or attempted to induce others to cheat at cricket is false," he told reporters at Auckland airport.

Current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and former batsman Lou Vincent have both told ICC investigators that a high-profile cricketer dubbed "Player X" approached them in 2008 to fix matches, according to leaked testimony from the pair.

Cairns has said he believes he is Player X but questioned the testimony and vehemently denied any involvement in match-fixing.

He said former captains Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori had given evidence to the inquiry, along with current paceman Kyle Mills. He did not go into detail about their testimony but said: "These three ex- or current New Zealand players have made no direct accusation against me."

Cairns said Vincent had "betrayed the friendship I offered him" with the accusations and took issue with the former batsman being portrayed as a whistleblower. "He is nothing of the sort," he said. "The truth is he 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."

Vincent, who has been charged with match fixing in England, alleges that he received offers of cash and sex to cheat in five countries between 2008 and 2012.

His ex-wife Eleanor Riley has outlined claims of cash pick-ups from shady businesses in the British city of Birmingham and alleged Cairns was a match-fixing ringleader, according to press reports.

Cricket authorities have stressed that there is no suggestion that Cairns´ other main accuser, McCullum, accepted any match-fixing offer or acted illegally.

Cairns questioned why the incumbent New Zealand captain did not report his alleged approach when it was made in 2008. "It is beyond doubt that regardless of what certain people have claimed recently in the media, Brendon McCullum waited three years before reporting this alleged approach to an ICC anti-corruption official," he said.

The 43-year-old said "dark forces" were behind the allegations. "I find the manner in which this whole matter has progressed and the limited information that has been provided to me until very recently to be very disturbing," he said. "Knowing what I now know of these allegations against me, I find the situation truly absurd, bizarre and scary." (AFP)