'Keep quiet': Players tell of Cairns' match-fixing

Former Black Caps all-rounder Chris Cairns wants the High Court in London to clear his name. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Chris Cairns is alleged to have told a teammate to score "no more than five runs" during a match in the rebel Indian Cricket League.

Three of the New Zealander's former Chandigarh Lions teammates, Gaurav Gupta, Karanveer Singh and Rajesh Sharma, have stood by allegations Cairns was involved in match fixing.

The pair spoke to the High Court in London via video link from Delhi overnight on the sixth day of Cairns' libel case against the former Indian Premier League commissioner, Lalit Modi.

Modi alleged on Twitter in January 2010 that Cairns was involved in match fixing in the 2008 season of the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL), while captain of Chandigarh.

Gupta told the court Cairns instructed him to score "no more than five runs" during a match against the Mumbai Champs, Cricinfo reported.

Gupta refuted evidence given by Andrew Hall that former Indian international Dinesh Mongia gave the instruction, saying Cairns told him between the innings and on the pitch as well.

It had earlier been claimed Cairns told Gupta to "get out now" when Gupta was on four runs.

Legspinner Karanveer said Mongia told him and his father everyone within the ICL knew about fixing. He told the court he then talked to Cairns during training about whether he had "spoken to Mongia", Cricinfo reported.

"This talk was about match-fixing, I was very much convinced," Karanveer told the court.

Off-spinner Sharma, speaking through a Hindi translator, said Cairns told him to "keep quiet" about match fixing, which led him to believe the Cantabrian was involved, Cricinfo reported.

Sharma, who has admitted to taking money for spot fixing, said he did not report Cairns to the ICL as it would have become a bigger problem for him.

Judge David Bean has allowed for a break in proceedings tomorrow, and will sum up on behalf of the claimant and defence the following day, before retiring to consider his verdict.

Cairns represented New Zealand in 62 tests, 215 one-day internationals and two Twenty20s. He made his test debut against Australia in 1989 and finished his international career with a Twenty20 match against West Indies in February 2006.