New Zealand Cricket chairman Stuart Heal expressed relief on Tuesday that the Chris Cairns match-fixing perjury trial was over, saying there were no winners in the "unpleasant and incredibly difficult" case.
A london court on Monday cleared Cairns of perjury and perverting the course of justice after a nine-week trial which included testimony from Black Caps skipper Brendon McCullum that his ex-teammate had pitched a match-fixing proposal.
Regardless of the verdict, Heal said he was pleased New Zealand cricketers were prepared to speak out about the issue in court, saying his organisation was "in good spiritual and ethical health".
"The fact (is) that a number of people who are affiliated to New Zealand Cricket and/or the game came forward during this case for the right reasons," he told Radio New Zealand.
"Yes there will be some reputational damage, but I'm proud of the fact that people did come forward."
"This has been an unpleasant time for everyone — for the Cairns family, for the cricket family, for the witnesses — there are no winners," Heal told the broadcaster.
Charges were brought against Cairns after he sued Indian Premier league chairman lalit Modi for libel in 2012 over a 2010 tweet in which the administrator accused him of match-fixing.
The allegations against him resurfaced in December 2013 when the International Cricket Council confirmed it was investigating match-fixing claims involving three former New Zealand internationals.