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Rediff.com  » Cricket » Always held suspicions Cronje was involved in match fixing: Boucher
This article was first published 10 years ago

Always held suspicions Cronje was involved in match fixing: Boucher

November 30, 2013 11:49 IST

Image: Mark Boucher and Hansie Cronje
Photographs: Reuters

South African cricketer Mark Boucher has said that the game's modern anti-corruption methods are a joke, offering a rare insight into the shady world of cricket's most notorious match-fixer, Hansie Cronje.

According to News.com.au, Boucher was a long-time teammate of Cronje, the former South African captain who was banned for life for match fixing and died in a plane crash in June 2002.

He added that they did nothing then and they continue to do nothing today with a lot of shrugging of shoulders and shaking of heads.

Team was furious with Cronje

Image: Hansie Cronje
Photographs: Touchline /Allsport

In more than a decade of operation the ICC's heavily funded corruption unit has barely landed a big name scalp through their own investigations and Boucher and former teammate Jonty Rhodes were furious when they saw an anti-corruption video which featured footage of Cronje crying at the King Commission, the report said.

Boucher spoke of teammates' private anger when Cronje orchestrated a stunning match fix when he declared at 0-0 in a rain-marred Test against England in Pretoria to set up a last day run chase which England managed, the report added.

Boucher also said that when the story first broke about Cronje being involved in match fixing he called the team in a room at a hotel in Durban and said it was categorically untrue.

However, the following evening Boucher received a call from team manager Goolam Rajah saying Cronje had written a letter confession everything, according to the report.