Chris Cairns, one of New Zealand's greatest all-rounders with 218 Test wickets and over 3,000 Test runs, faced a perjury trial at London's Southwark Crown Court in 2015. The charges stemmed from a 2012 defamation case in which Cairns had sued Lalit Modi, the founder of the IPL, for tweeting that Cairns was involved in match fixing. Cairns won that defamation case and was awarded $130,000 in damages.
However, prosecutors alleged that Cairns had lied under oath during the defamation trial when he denied involvement in match fixing. The prosecution's case relied heavily on the testimony of Lou Vincent and Brendon McCullum, both former New Zealand teammates. McCullum testified that Cairns had approached him about match fixing in 2008 during the Indian Cricket League.
After a lengthy trial, Cairns was acquitted of perjury on 30 November 2015. The jury found that the prosecution had not proven beyond reasonable doubt that Cairns had lied. His co-accused, lawyer Andrew Fitch-Holland, was also acquitted of perverting the course of justice.
Despite the acquittal, the trial caused enormous damage to Cairns' reputation and left lingering questions. The case cost millions in legal fees and took years to resolve. It highlighted the difficulty of prosecuting fixing-related offenses in courts of law, where the standard of proof is far higher than in sporting tribunals.