Legendary Former NZ Cricket Skipper Brendon McCullum Will "Never Forgive" Chris Cairns

For former New Zealand cricket captain – and national hero – Brendon McCullum there's one hatchet that will never be buried.

The one with the name 'Chris Cairns' etched into the handle.

In an interview with New Zealand current affairs show Seven Sharp last night, McCullum, who retired from international cricket last summer, said he will "never forgive" former team mate Chris Cairns – whom he testified against in a perjury trial in London in 2015.

Cairns – a cult hero all-rounder who played for New Zealand between 1989 and 2006 - was up on charges of alleged match-fixing, but was found not guilty.

"Under pressure, people show their true character," McCullum, who played 101 tests for New Zealand, says.

"It's not the character I thought I knew, and I guess I can never forgive him for that."

McCullum says he hopes he "never cross paths" with his former New Zealand team mate again, adding that his decision to testify against Cairns was his own.

"I felt I had an obligation, especially as captain of New Zealand, to go over and tell my side of the story," he says.

"I was prepared to stand up, even under pressure and under fire from various quarters and do what I thought was morally right at the time.

"I'm sure [Cairns] will get on with his life, and I'll get on with mine – and let's hope they never cross paths."

The interview with Seven Sharp was part of a round of press contact for McCullum, whose new autobiography is released today.