Daniel Vettori is due to give evidence in the Chris Cairns trial

The former batsman also said he was unaware that McCullum had later met Cairns and stated that they have never discussed the phone-call again.

Expressing his views about proposition, the 40-year-old asserted that he never talked to McCullum about it as he was not interested.

Giving evidence last week Mr McCullum, 34, claimed the proposition was about match fixing, and that Cairns told him other players “did not have the balls to do it”. McCullum said New Zealand would benefit from an early sight of the likes of Cameron Bancroft, Usman Khawaja, Joe Burns, Adam Voges and Peter Siddle before the Tests as they formulated plans to try to win a Test series down under for the first time since 1985.

Under questioning from Mr Pownall, Vettori said McCullum never mentioned the names of Lou Vincent and Daryl Tuffey – a former New Zealand bowler who played with both Vincent and Cairns in the Indian Cricket League – in connection to Cairns’ alleged matchfixing.

London Left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori has appeared on television many times, yet being beamed into a London courtroom television as a perjury trial witness is surely new ground to man who has experienced most of what professional cricket has to offer. While Cairns is charged with perjury and perverting the course of justice, his lead adviser Andrew Fitch-Holland is accused of perverting the course of justice. He has denied all charges. Brendon’s business life and personal life was none of my business. “I suggest to you, Mr Mills, that the law with regard to reporting of approaches was as clear then as it is now, wasn’t it?”

With Steve Smith and Darren Lehmann as coach, I think the two teams will get on well.

Given that the unit had been harshly criticised for succeeding in only two prosecutions since it was formed in 2002, Cairns was a prime “scalp”, Pownall told the court.

Asked why he did not report to the worldwide Cricket Council what McCullum had said, Vettori said he did not think he was obligated to because the alleged approach was to someone else. Vincent has confessed to match fixing, including accepting thousands of pounds from Indian matchfixers, but alleges Cairns introduced him to that “evil world”. I said no, I didn’t.

“Yes they’ve got a few changes and they’ve got a few new personnel, but they’re also a very, very proud sporting nation and their cricket team has been successful for over two decades now so for us to come here and succeed we’re going to have to play extremely well”.

“We have had the odd test win … but to win a series over here, you need to play very well and we won’t get too far ahead of ourselves”.

“We’ve known the timelines for a long time, so we’ve put plans in place and Brendon will be ready by Brisbane”. “I felt he was, Chris was, a hero, and I didn’t feel like I was threatened by his approaches, and I felt I could deal with it without making it an issue”, McCullum said.

She continued: “I asked him whether he was absolutely certain what Chris had meant – had he misunderstood anything – and Brendon said, no he hadn’t”.