The 44-year-old and his agent, the London-based barrister Andrew Fitch-Holland, are both set to be charged by Scotland Yard in relation to Cairns' libel trial with former Indian Premier League boss Lalit Modi in London's High Court in 2012.

In what can be seen as a win for the International Cricket Council's often-maligned anti-corruption unit, both are in hot water as a result of information uncovered by the unit's investigators in the course of a lengthy inquiry that earlier this year also led to a life ban for Cairns' former teammate Lou Vincent.

Fitch-Holland, who appeared as a witness in Cairns' case against Modi two years ago, is expected to be charged with perverting the course of justice by the Met Police.

Cairns has confirmed he will be charged with perjury by London's Metropolitan Police and has vowed to "do whatever it takes to once again prove my innocence".

Speaking to Fairfax Media, Cairns said he was informed of the intent to lay charges at lunchtime on Friday.

"I can confirm that I have now been notified by the Crown Prosecution Service in the UK that it is their intention to lay charges against me on 25 September for perjury," Cairns said in a statement released to Fairfax Media.

"I'm obviously extremely disappointed, however, at least  there will now be an opportunity to face my accusers in an open forum, with some rigour and proper process around that, so that I can clear my name once and for all.

"I hope that, through this forum, significant additional information will be flushed out that will help people to better assess the situation, as well as the character and motives of the parties involved.

"I wish this wasn't the situation - having been to Court before, I know what lies ahead and how gruelling it will be and how tough it is on my family - but I have nothing to hide and I will do whatever it takes to once again prove my innocence.

"I will continue to co-operate fully with the authorities, including voluntarily travelling to the UK to face these changes."

Cairns, who has consistently denied any wrongdoing, was awarded damages of £90,000 ($161,000) and legal costs of $774,000 from Modi, the ex-Indian Premier League chief who had in 2010 made an allegation of match-fixing on Twitter against the all-rounder relating to his time playing in the now defunct Indian Cricket League.

He will again find himself before a London court, however, after an ICC investigation that uncovered new match-fixing allegations against him and former international teammates Vincent and Daryl Tuffey, who also all played together at ICL team Chandigarh Lions.

Vincent was in July banned for life from all forms of cricket by the England and Wales Cricket Board after admitting to match-fixing offences in three English county matches in 2008 and 2011.

The news of the imminent charge for Cairns comes a week after his lawyers questioned why Vincent had not been criminally prosecuted for match-fixing.

Cairns' lawyers had taken the step of reporting Vincent to the police in an attempt to put that process in motion.

"I can confirm that on 2 July 2014 I referred Mr Vincent's serious criminal activities to the Metropolitan Police Service with a view to his prosecution," Rhory Robertson, partner at Collyer Bristow, solicitors acting for Cairns , told the Telegraph newspaper in London.

Under the terms of a memorandum of understanding signed between the ICC and the Met Police in April, evidence gathered by the anti-corruption unit was passed onto Scotland Yard, and British police have since flown to New Zealand repeatedly to follow up the claims.

Cairns, a swashbuckling allrounder, played 62 tests and 215 ODIs for New Zealand between 1989 and 2004.