Herald cricket reporters Dylan Cleaver and Andrew Alderson have been well on top of the match-fixing saga. And they report that Cairns may yet face a third cricket authority making allegations against him; they report:
It is the ECB which has taken the lead and charged Lou Vincent with match-fixing with regard to allegations concerning two English county matches. The ECB seems, at the moment, to be more pro-active than its parent body, the ICC.
It was interesting too that Cairns lashed out against Vincent and his former wife, and has named former New Zealand captains Daniel Vettori and Stephen Fleming, and current ODI player Kyle Mills, whose brother Heath is head honcho of the NZ Cricket Players' Association. The Herald story continues:
Regular readers will know how we feel about this case. Chris Cairns is entitled to be presumed innocent of any wrongdoing until such time as it is proven. But it is hard to ignore the weight of testimony. The obligation of cricket authorities and possibly the Metropolitan Police will be to prove the allegations.
There was however one red herring thrown out by Cairns; Cricifo reports:
Chris Cairns has returned to New Zealand full of defiance, but might have another fight on his hands with the England and Wales Cricket Board investigating whether they can lay charges against him.
The former New Zealand all-rounder held a press conference at Auckland Airport upon his return from London. He read from a prepared statement and did not take questions as he left to spend "time with my family".
He said he had been interviewed by the Metropolitan Police, the ICC's anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU) and the ECB.
"At my own request, I was interviewed by representatives of Metropolitan Police, the ECB and the ICC anti-corruption unit," Cairns said yesterday. "This is in relation to an allegation I perjured myself at the trial Cairns v Modi in 2012, and separate allegations by the ICC's anti-corruption unit that I am a match-fixer. I was not arrested or otherwise detained in London and I have not been charged with any offence, criminal or otherwise."
This is the first time the ECB has been connected to discussions concerning Cairns.
The UK Telegraph last night reported that the ECB was taking legal advice over whether it could charge Cairns with alleged match-fixing offences, giving it jurisdiction over and above the ICC.
It is understood an ECB anti-corruption official sat in on discussions with the ACSU but John Rhodes, the ICC official who took testimony from McCullum, did not.
It is the ECB which has taken the lead and charged Lou Vincent with match-fixing with regard to allegations concerning two English county matches. The ECB seems, at the moment, to be more pro-active than its parent body, the ICC.
It was interesting too that Cairns lashed out against Vincent and his former wife, and has named former New Zealand captains Daniel Vettori and Stephen Fleming, and current ODI player Kyle Mills, whose brother Heath is head honcho of the NZ Cricket Players' Association. The Herald story continues:
Cairns yesterday emphasised that he rejected all the allegations against him, describing the testimony of Vincent and his ex-wife, Elly Riley, as "despicable lies" and questioning why it took McCullum three years to report the approach.
Along with Vincent and McCullum, former national captains Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori and fast bowler Kyle Mills were yesterday named as those who have given statements to investigators. Cairns said two were to confirm that McCullum told them he had been approached by Cairns, but one's memory was too "foggy" to back up that assertion.
"It is also significant that none of those players seem to have spoken to anyone at the ICC or any other organisation about my alleged conversation with Mr McCullum until this year, 2014," Cairns said.
"As a result of my trip to London, I now also understand that no person has made any statements to support the allegations Mr Vincent and his ex-wife have sought to level against me. There are also no allegations that I ever received any monies for my alleged activities, nor paid any monies to any person."
Regular readers will know how we feel about this case. Chris Cairns is entitled to be presumed innocent of any wrongdoing until such time as it is proven. But it is hard to ignore the weight of testimony. The obligation of cricket authorities and possibly the Metropolitan Police will be to prove the allegations.
There was however one red herring thrown out by Cairns; Cricifo reports:
Cairns claimed the interviews in London were conducted at his own request and dealt with allegations he had perjured himself during the Cairns v Modi trial in 2012, and separate allegations of match-fixing."I was not arrested or otherwise detained in London and I have not been charged with any offence, criminal or otherwise," Cairns said. "I repeat that each and every allegation against me, that I have cheated at cricket or attempted to induce others to cheat at cricket, is false."
Cairns' statement that he was "not arrested or otherwise detained" is obfuscation. He was given a guarantee before he left New Zealand that he would not be arrested or detained at this point in the investigation, so it is somewhat disingenuous of him to claim that because he returned to New Zealand as a free man, he has somehow been vindicated. If Cairns is to be vindicated, that moment is still some distance away.
We will continue to follow this story with much interest. As we have said many times, match-fixing is a blight on the noble game of cricket, and those who are found to have participated in it will deserve whatever punishment they receive. There is no place for them in the sport.
