Chris Cairns vows to clear `absurd` fixing claims

Wellington: New Zealand legend Chris Cairns on Friday revealed two former Black Caps captains had given evidence to a probe into his alleged match-fixing and said he was determined to clear his name.

Cairns returned to Auckland after travelling to London for interviews with anti-corruption authorities saying he now had a clearer picture of the "absurd, bizarre and scary" allegations against him. "Each and every allegation against me that I have cheated at cricket or attempted to induce others to cheat at cricket is false," he told reporters at Auckland airport. Current New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum and former batsman Lou Vincent have both told ICC investigators that a high-profile cricketer dubbed "Player X" approached them in 2008 to fix matches, according to leaked testimony from the pair. Cairns has said he believes he is Player X but questioned the testimony and vehemently denied any involvement in match-fixing. He said former captains Stephen Fleming and Daniel Vettori had given evidence to the inquiry, along with current paceman Kyle Mills. He did not go into detail about their testimony but said: "These three ex- or current New Zealand players have made no direct accusation against me." Cairns said "dark forces" were behind the allegations. "I find the manner in which this whole matter has progressed and the limited information that has been provided to me until very recently to be very disturbing," he said. "Knowing what I now know of these allegations against me, I find the situation truly absurd, bizarre and scary."