Lawyers have last word in Cairns’ battle

This decision will be bigger than an umpire’s, Matthew Appleby reports from London.

CHRIS CAIRNS’ past and future reputation as a cricketer was on the line in the High Court in London as his libel case headed into its final stages.

Former Black Cap Cairns has taken a libel action against Indian Premier League founder Lalit Modi for Twitter comments suggesting Cairns fixed matches in the Indian Cricket League in 2008. Cairns gave up $700,000 of a $1 million contract with the cricket league in October 2008 after executives confronted him about match-fixing allegations.

Andrew Caldecott QC, Cairns’ counsel, said fixing matches would ‘‘not only be destroying the past but also destroying the future’’ for his client.

Caldecott has indicated he will pick apart the differences between evidence given in court by Indian players and their previous written statements, in his closing comments.

Caldecott said Cairns was defending his global reputation as a ‘‘hard and fair captain’’, and that reputation was ‘‘in itself a commercial asset’’, for instance speaking engagements. When the hearing finishes it could be days or even weeks before the judge releases his written verdict.

Modi’s counsel, Ronald Thwaites QC, in his closing comments, said: ‘‘The case sadly charts the downfall of a once great player. There is clear evidence he was involved in match-fixing and he has been found out.’’ Cairns was a cricketing ‘‘colossus with feet of clay’’ who accepted ‘‘suspicious’’ fees of almost £100,000 (NZ$194,000), Thwaites said.

Cairns had been part of ‘‘a diabolical scheme that involved blackmailing young players’’, Thwaites said, referring to six Indians captained by the New Zealander in the 2008 cricket league Chandigarh Lions team.

Caldecott said Cairns was not in financial hardship, the young Indian players he captained were frustrated about being in and out of the team, and Cairns remained in ‘‘cordial’’ contact with Indian Cricket League officials after leaving in October 2008.