Lalit Modi's 25-word tweet reduced my reputation to dust: Cairns

London, Mar 6 (ANI): Former New Zealand all-rounder Chris Cairns has said that Lalit Modi's 25-word tweet reduced his reputation to "dust".

Cairns, 41, is suing Modi, the founder of the Indian Premier League, at London's High Court in the first libel case involving Twitter, the social networking website.

The case is expected to last 10 days and will centre on events in the Indian Cricket League, a private tournament set up to rival the IPL that lasted for three seasons from 2007 and involved more than a dozen county cricketers.

Cairns, who now lives in Australia, said the 25-word tweet had reduced his reputation to "dust" and was a "very grave" libel, The Telegraph reports.

He told the court "an allegation of cheating is one of if not the most serious and damaging of all allegations that could possibly be levelled against a professional sportsman. Uncorrected it will destroy all that I have achieved over a successful 20-year sporting career."

Cairns said media work "dried up" after Modi's tweet and he has not played professional cricket since.

He is also asking the court for substantial damages and an injunction preventing a repeat of the allegations, the paper reports. (ANI)