The cricket season is well underway, with eight international teams playing bilateral series in different parts of the world. But it’s likely that the most significant cricketing event is not taking place on the field, but within the hallowed precincts of the Southwark Crown Court in London.
Since October 5, the prolific former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has been standing trial on allegations of perjury. Cairns is accused by United Kingdom’s Crown Persecution Service of lying under oath in 2012 when he fought a libel case against former Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi. Cairns could be imprisoned for up to seven years if found guilty.
As events have unfolded during the trial, one thing has become increasingly clear: this is not just a case of whether or not Cairns lied in court. The issue runs much deeper. Those called to provide evidence have made some disconcerting statements that point to a murky side of the cricket world. And more troubling is that most of these shady activities seem to be taking place in India.
Background of the trial
In January 2010, Lalit Modi, the then commissioner of the Indian Premier League, posted a now-deleted tweet, alleging that Chris Cairns had been removed from the IPL auction list because of his “his past record in match-fixing”. It was widely interpreted that Modi was alluding to certain events that had happened in the rebel Indian Cricket League, in which Cairns had participated.
Cairns took offence to this tweet. He filed and won a libel case against Lalit Modi in 2012. with the ex-IPL commissioner ordered to pay more than £1 million in damages. But after a lengthy probe, the Metropolitan Police in London determined that Cairns might have lied and referred to the case to the UK's public prosecution agency to press trial.
The ICL connection
The Indian Cricket League was a short-lived rebel Twenty20 league. Started in 2007, it was owned by Subhash Chandra’s Essel Group. It was the precursor to the Indian Premier League and had a similar format with nine teams based in different cities. The ICL was never recognised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India or the International Cricket Council. It folded up in 2009.
Chris Cairns captained the Chandigarh Lions in the ICL. In October 2008, he was suspended from the league, ostensibly due to under-performance because of an ankle injury. However, during the 2012 libel case, Modi argued that the suspension was a cover-up for Cairns’ involvement in corrupt activities.
Explosive revelations
Some prominent names that provided evidence at the ongoing trial included current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting and former Kiwi spinner Daniel Vettori.
One of the more shocking revelations came from McCullum, who recounted how Cairns approached him to fix matches just before the inaugural IPL season in April 2008. According to McCullum, he was having a drink with Ponting at their hotel bar in Kolkata when he got a call from Cairns who invited him over to his hotel to discuss a “business proposition”. Using diagrams and drawings, Cairns reportedly introduced McCullum to the specifics of spot-fixing and wondered whether he would be interested in getting a piece of the pie. Ricky Ponting, who also gave evidence, confirmed that McCullum had received the phone call from Cairns.
The Dinesh Mongia connection
But the most potentially damaging revelations came from another former New Zealand cricketer, Lou Vincent, who was banned for life in 2014 after admitting to involvement in match-fixing. Vincent, who was Cairns’ teammate at the Chandigarh Lions, recounted that his first introduction to match-fixing came when a bookmaker named Varun Gandhi offered him a bundle of cash and told him that a woman would give him “company”. When Vincent reported the matter to Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand captain allegedly recruited Vincent for his own match-fixing operations.
Vincent also alleged that among those involved in Cairns’ match-fixing operations was Dinesh Mongia, a former India international who was a part of the 2003 World Cup squad. Mongia denied such claims and said that he was considering taking legal action against Vincent.
The whole Chris Cairns saga is at once both troubling and sordid. When cricketers who have represented their nations on the world stage calmly talk about being offered money to influence the result of matches, it is an indicator that something is very rotten in the game. Irrespective of the outcome of the trial, the inference is clear – bribery and corruption still run rampant in cricket and there is still a long way to go before the scourge of corruption is removed from the game.
Since October 5, the prolific former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has been standing trial on allegations of perjury. Cairns is accused by United Kingdom’s Crown Persecution Service of lying under oath in 2012 when he fought a libel case against former Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi. Cairns could be imprisoned for up to seven years if found guilty.
As events have unfolded during the trial, one thing has become increasingly clear: this is not just a case of whether or not Cairns lied in court. The issue runs much deeper. Those called to provide evidence have made some disconcerting statements that point to a murky side of the cricket world. And more troubling is that most of these shady activities seem to be taking place in India.
Background of the trial
In January 2010, Lalit Modi, the then commissioner of the Indian Premier League, posted a now-deleted tweet, alleging that Chris Cairns had been removed from the IPL auction list because of his “his past record in match-fixing”. It was widely interpreted that Modi was alluding to certain events that had happened in the rebel Indian Cricket League, in which Cairns had participated.
Cairns took offence to this tweet. He filed and won a libel case against Lalit Modi in 2012. with the ex-IPL commissioner ordered to pay more than £1 million in damages. But after a lengthy probe, the Metropolitan Police in London determined that Cairns might have lied and referred to the case to the UK's public prosecution agency to press trial.
The ICL connection
The Indian Cricket League was a short-lived rebel Twenty20 league. Started in 2007, it was owned by Subhash Chandra’s Essel Group. It was the precursor to the Indian Premier League and had a similar format with nine teams based in different cities. The ICL was never recognised by the Board of Control for Cricket in India or the International Cricket Council. It folded up in 2009.
Chris Cairns captained the Chandigarh Lions in the ICL. In October 2008, he was suspended from the league, ostensibly due to under-performance because of an ankle injury. However, during the 2012 libel case, Modi argued that the suspension was a cover-up for Cairns’ involvement in corrupt activities.
Explosive revelations
Some prominent names that provided evidence at the ongoing trial included current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, former Australian captain Ricky Ponting and former Kiwi spinner Daniel Vettori.
One of the more shocking revelations came from McCullum, who recounted how Cairns approached him to fix matches just before the inaugural IPL season in April 2008. According to McCullum, he was having a drink with Ponting at their hotel bar in Kolkata when he got a call from Cairns who invited him over to his hotel to discuss a “business proposition”. Using diagrams and drawings, Cairns reportedly introduced McCullum to the specifics of spot-fixing and wondered whether he would be interested in getting a piece of the pie. Ricky Ponting, who also gave evidence, confirmed that McCullum had received the phone call from Cairns.
The Dinesh Mongia connection
But the most potentially damaging revelations came from another former New Zealand cricketer, Lou Vincent, who was banned for life in 2014 after admitting to involvement in match-fixing. Vincent, who was Cairns’ teammate at the Chandigarh Lions, recounted that his first introduction to match-fixing came when a bookmaker named Varun Gandhi offered him a bundle of cash and told him that a woman would give him “company”. When Vincent reported the matter to Chris Cairns, the former New Zealand captain allegedly recruited Vincent for his own match-fixing operations.
Vincent also alleged that among those involved in Cairns’ match-fixing operations was Dinesh Mongia, a former India international who was a part of the 2003 World Cup squad. Mongia denied such claims and said that he was considering taking legal action against Vincent.
The whole Chris Cairns saga is at once both troubling and sordid. When cricketers who have represented their nations on the world stage calmly talk about being offered money to influence the result of matches, it is an indicator that something is very rotten in the game. Irrespective of the outcome of the trial, the inference is clear – bribery and corruption still run rampant in cricket and there is still a long way to go before the scourge of corruption is removed from the game.
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