Chris Cairns trial: Jury mulls verdict on ex-NZ cricketer

Chris Cairns has repeatedly denied allegations he tried to coerce former team-mates into fixing matches

The jury in the trial of ex-New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns has retired to consider its verdict.

Mr Cairns, 45, has denied charges of perjury and perverting the course of justice at the trial at Southwark Crown Court in London.

He is accused of falsely declaring under oath in a libel case in 2012 that he had never cheated at cricket.

He is also accused of perverting the course of justice by inducing a fellow cricketer to give a false statement.

The jury was sent home for the day and told to return on Friday morning.

'Business proposition'

In the 2012 libel case - England's first Twitter libel trial - Mr Cairns won damages of $130,000 (£90,000) by successfully suing Indian Premier League chairman Lalit Modi over a tweet in January 2010 which accused the cricketer of match-fixing while playing for the Chandigarh Lions in the Indian Cricket League in 2008.

The prosecution at his current trial argued that Mr Cairns lied when he promised during the earlier trial that he had never cheated.

During his trial Mr Cairns has repeatedly denied allegations that he tried to coerce former teammates into fixing matches.

He is also accused of perverting the course of justice by inducing fellow cricketer Lou Vincent to give a false witness statement in a Skype call.

Lou Vincent told the court that Mr Cairns had approached him suggesting he deliberately play badly for the Chandigarh Lions and said he helped fix matches under "direct orders" from Cairns while playing for the Lions. Cairns denied the suggestion.

Mr Cairns's former adviser, Andrew Fitch-Holland, is also accused of perverting the course of justice. He denies the charge.

The trial has heard evidence from a host of cricketers, including ex-Australia captain Ricky Ponting and current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who said Mr Cairns had approached him with a "business proposition" about match-fixing.

Lou Vincent told the court that Cairns had approached him suggesting he deliberately play badly