Lalit Modi's accusation reduced my career to dust: Chris Cairns
Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand captain, told the High Court in London on Monday that an accusation of match-fixing had reduced his career to "dust".
Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand captain, told the High Court in London on Monday that an accusation of match-fixing had reduced his career to "dust". Cairns is suing Lalit Modi, the former chairman of the IPL, for substantial libel damages over an "unequivocal allegation" made on Twitter.
His lawyer, Andrew Caldecott, told judge David Bean, who is hearing the case without a jury, that Modi's tweet sent in January 2010 was picked up by ESPNcricinfo.
Cairns, 41, complained to ESPNcricinfo and the website withdrew the report, paid damages and apologised. But Modi declined to apologise and pleaded justification, maintaining that the charge was true. Cairns alleges the allegation was "wholly untrue" and a very grave libel.
He said that if it was left uncorrected, it would destroy all he had achieved over a 20-year career, in which he notched up the rare double of 200 wickets and 3,000 runs in 62 Tests.
"The defendant's allegations have also had a profound effect on my personal and private life," Cairns said in evidence. "It put a strain on my marriage. It hurts that my wife may think that I am not the man she thought I was.
"It hurts me too that friends, many of whom are former cricketing foes, will question my integrity as a man and a sportsman and that all I achieved in the great game of cricket is dust."