Former New Zealand cricket captain Chris Cairns has indicated he'll plead not guilty to a perjury charge arising from a 2012 UK libel trial over alleged match-fixing.
The 44-year-old won STG90,000 ($NZ176,000) in damages after he sued Indian Premier League founder Lalit Modi who in early 2010 accused the New Zealander of match-fixing.
But Cairns was charged a week ago with perjury.
Police allege he made a statement in court he knew to be false when he declared at the libel trial he'd never cheated at cricket and would never contemplate doing so.
Cairns appeared at Westminster Magistrates Court in London on Thursday where his lawyer, Colin Nott, said the former cricket star would be fully contesting the charge.
Cairns sat alongside his barrister from the libel trial, Andrew Fitch-Holland, who is charged with one count of perverting the course of justice.
Fitch-Holland's lawyer, Scott Ewing, told the court his client would also contest that charge.
Cairns appeared relaxed in the dock on Thursday as he chatted with Fitch-Holland before proceedings.
Both men, wearing dark suits, sat more solemnly with their arms folded across their chests as details of the charges were read out in court.
Fitch-Holland is accused of asking disgraced New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent "to provide a false witness statement in connection with proceedings relating to the libel action between Chris Cairns and Lalit Modi… which had a tendency to pervert the course of public justice".
Deputy chief magistrate Emma Arbuthnot released both men on unconditional bail.
They're now scheduled to appear at Southwark Crown Court on October 16 for a plea and case management hearing ahead of a likely trial in 2015.
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