Cronje inquest will hear no evidence until February 19

Judge Edwin King, the head of a commission probing South Africa's cricket match-fixing, scandal, has agreed not to hear any evidence on Hansie Cronje until February 19, a report said Friday.

The judge is to resume public hearings into the scandal on January 25, but has handed papers to the Cape High Court pledging to leave the disgraced captain out of it until the later date, The Argus newspaper said.

This follows a court application by Cronje on Thursday to stop the King Commission resuming its hearings in January because his lawyers would not be available then.

Cronje, who has been banned from cricket for life after admitting accepting thousands of dollars from bookmakers, said in papers before the court he could not afford to brief a new legal team.

He is also challenging the ban handed down by the United Cricket Board of South Africa in court.

Mail Cricket Editor