Chris Cairns has taken aim at his accusers and again claimed he was innocent of match-fixing allegations made against him. Cairns was interviewed by the Metropolitan Police, the ECB and the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit in London this week, and after arriving back in Auckland on Friday he read a prepared statement to the waiting media.
As part of the statement, Cairns said two former New Zealand players and one current New Zealand player had also given evidence, apart from Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum. However, he claimed that the players had made no direct allegations against him and that their evidence related to McCullum claiming he had spoken to them about an alleged approach from Cairns.
"Based on the information I was provided in London, I now understand that there were two past players and one current New Zealand player who Mr McCullum said he spoke to about the alleged approach," Cairns said. "Two of these men made statements supporting Mr McCullum's claim that he spoke to them. The third man told investigators his memory was foggy and he could not make a statement in support of Mr McCullum."
Cairns also took issue with the fact that it took McCullum nearly three years to report to the ICC the alleged approach made in 2008. Cairns also claimed that allegations made against him by Vincent were a case of Vincent seeking "to mitigate his sins by blaming others".
"In 2008, he [Vincent] had a lot of problems that he has admitted to," Cairns said. "I endeavoured to become a friend to him in these difficult times. He has betrayed the friendship I offered him. He now seeks to portray himself as a whistle-blower. He is nothing of the sort."
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 claimed that the ICC had not interviewed him over match-fixing allegations in the past and he "decided to travel 40,000 kilometres to make clear to the police, ICC and ECB that these allegations are false and that I have nothing to hide".
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Cairns takes aim at accusers
