Cricket: Big names to appear in Cairns trial

Chris Cairns
Chris Cairns
Up to three Black Caps captains and several former international stars could be called to give evidence as cricketing great Chris Cairns stands trial on charges of perjury and perverting the course of justice.

The list of witnesses reads like a who's who of New Zealand cricket and includes: Lou Vincent, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills, Andre Adams, Daniel Vettori, Brendon McCullum and Chris Harris.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting is also listed to give evidence, as was Cairns' wife Mel Cairns and Mal Loye, an English county cricket player.

Other potential witnesses include former New Zealand captain Stephen Fleming and Mark Greatbatch, another former international who went on to coach, as well as McCullum's former mental skills coach, Kerry Schwalger.

Some of those witnesses, to be called by both the Crown and the defence, are expected to give evidence from New Zealand and Australia by audio-visual link, although Vincent and McCullum will appear in person in London next week.

Vincent's ex-wife Eleanor Riley was also listed as a witness, as well as senior New Zealand police officer Detective Inspector Neil Hallett and ICC corruption investigator John Rhodes.

Evidence will not be heard until next Monday but the Crown case, led by the Queen's Counsel who prosecuted Rolf Harris for historical sex crimes, will begin with an opening statement to outline the allegations in the early hours of Thursday morning, New Zealand time.

Wearing a dark blue suit, Cairns walked into the Southwark Crown Court almost unnoticed by waiting media who were mostly facing the other way.

Later inside the courtroom, he stood beside his friend, barrister Andrew Fitch-Holland who is jointly charged with perverting the course of justice, and nodded when asked by the registrar: 'Are you Chris Cairns?'

The former cricketer is represented by high-profile barrister Orlando Pownall QC.

A jury panel of 16 was quickly selected but the 12 jurors to actually hear the evidence and decide verdicts will be confirmed just before the Crown open the case against him.

Potential jurors were culled from the pool if they were professional cricketers, or close to one, worked in cricket administration bodies like the ICC, or were police officers.

The charges relate to Cairns' successful defamation case against powerful cricket administrator Lalit Modi who alleged the former all-rounder was sacked for match-fixing in the Indian Cricket League.

The Crown alleges he lied in that case when he stated he had "never ever" been involved in match-fixing or even contemplated it. The perverting the course of justice charge relates to Cairns and Fitch-Holland allegedly approaching Lou Vincent, a teammate of Cairns at the Chandigarh Lions, to give a false statement in the same libel trial.

Both men deny the charges.

Crown prosecutor Sasha Wass QC, who successfully prosecuted Rolf Harris on historical sex charges in the same court, said the trial could last until November 20 in a "worst case scenario".

Mr Justice Sweeney also presided over that case and warned the jury to not do any research about the charges laid against Cairns.

Around 15 members of the media, from New Zealand and the United Kingdom, attended the opening day of the trial.

Witnesses who may be called to give evidence in the Chris Cairns trial

*Black Cap skipper Brendon McCullum and predecessor Daniel Vettori.

*Another former captain Stephen Fleming is a potential witness.

*Former internationals Lou Vincent, Shane Bond, Kyle Mills, Andre Adams and Chris Harris.

*Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting.

*Vincent's ex-wife Eleanor Riley

*Cairns' wife Mel Cairns

*Senior New Zealand police officer Detective Inspector Neil Hallett

*ICC corruption investigator John Rhodes

- Jared Savage of The New Zealand Herald

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