The NZ Herald has named Player X:
The Herald can reveal that the player being named as Player X in evidence to the international cricket inquiry is New Zealand legend Chris Cairns.
The Herald has been told by multiple sources that the former allrounder has been named in testimony to the ICC's anti-corruption unit (ACSU), referred to as Player X, by Lou Vincent and current captain Brendon McCullum.
He is alleged to have attempted to manipulate games, including in India when he was captain of the Chandigarh Lions in the short lived Indian Cricket League.
Cairns was let go by Chandigarh, due to what he described as an ankle injury.
In recent days, testimony from Vincent and McCullum has been leaked into the public domain, including alleged meetings between those players and Cairns.
When asked by the Herald on Sunday whether he was Player X, Cairns said he did not want to "speculate" but last night told Fairfax - Cairns was recently a columnist for the Sunday Star-Times - the allegations were false.
First up, let's get one thing straight. The allegations against Chris Cairns are just that; allegations. He is entitled to the chance to clear his name, and any allegations must be proven.
But if the allegations against Cairns are true, he is in deep, deep trouble. And he will have no one to blame but himself.
The next few weeks and months are going to be both interesting and distressing as cricket continues to unravel. That saddens us immensely.
