Bacher "shattered" as Cronje sacked

Hansie Cronje was sacked as South African captain this morning local time after admitting that he had received "between 10 and 15 thousand dollars" during the triangular one-day international series against England and Zimbabwe earlier this year.

He has been withdrawn from the team to play Australia in a one-day series starting tomorrow, his contract with the United Cricket Board (UCB) has been suspended and he will not be named in the core group of contracted players to be announced next month.

National selectors this morning named Shaun Pollock as the new captain, while thirty-five year old Dave Callaghan comes into the squad having made his last international appearance five years ago.

Cronje admitted to Dr Ali Bacher in a phone call the early hours of this morning that he received the money. The disclosure came after police in Delhi laid charges against Cronje last Friday of criminal conspiracy, fraud and cheating, in relation to the one-day series against India last month. Similar charges were laid against three other members of the South African team - Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Piet Strydom.

Cronje denied these charges when speaking to a press conference in Durban on Sunday. While not directly addressing those charges in his overnight confession to Dr Bacher, he continued to deny that he had been involved in match-fixing, and said that the three other players were innocent of all charges.

Cronje told Bacher and UCB president Percy Sonn this morning that during the triangular series against England and Zimbabwe, he was approached by a local South African and by a bookmaker of Indian origin based in London.

Bacher told a press conference in Durban this afternoon that discussions took place between Cronje and the men and the result was that he was given an amount of money "between 10 and 15 thousand US dollars" which he took home with him. Cronje said he has not deposited the money.

Bacher said Cronje told him that he had been "harassed by bookmakers" on the Indian tour and had provided "forecasts and information". Cronje denied being involved in fixing matches on the Indian tour.

Bacher told the assembled media that he had asked the South African Minister of Sport to conduct an inquiry. Bacher also informed the chief executive officer of the ICC, David Richards.

"We are shattered. The UCB and the Government have been deceived," Bacher said.

Cronje left Durban this morning, where the South African team are preparing for Wednesday's one-day international and was understood to be flying to Cape Town to meet the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Aziz Pahad. Cronje was believed to have been accompanied by his religious mentor, who he consulted last night before contacting the UCB senior officials.

Last Friday, New Delhi Assistant Police Commissioner KK Paul told a press conference that charges had been laid against Cronje following an investigation that had begun last month. Delhi businessman Rajesh Kalra had been placed under arrest, while charges had also been laid against Londonbased bookmaker Sanjiv Chalwa.

A key element of the alleged evidence against Cronje was an audio tape which police said was in their possession of a telephone conversation between Cronje and Kalra. While the tape itself has not been made public, police produced what they said was a transcript of the conversation, in which Cronje was discussing team totals and limiting individual players' scores in return for money.

The revelation of the charges led to strenuous denials by Cronje, who had the support of Dr Bacher. The South African government became involved, expressing concern that Cronje, as a South African national abroad, had been the subject of phone-tapping, and that they hadn't been informed prior to the charges being made public.

Yesterday, Delhi police officials said that further evidence had come to light against Cronje, without providing any details. Their investigations are continuing.

News of the revelations about Hansie Cronje have been met with shock all over the world. The thirty-year old South African captain was known as a deeply religious man of high integrity, many people noting that he was one of the last people they would imagine being involved in corrupt behaviour.

Wessel Johannes Cronje, to give his full name, first played for South Africa in the 1992 World Cup in Australia. He has appeared in 68 Tests, scoring 3714 runs at 36.41 with 6 centuries and a top score of 135, taking 43 wickets at 29.95. He was captain in 53 Tests, winning 26 and losing 11.

In 188 one-day internationals he scored 5565 runs at 38.64 and took 114 wickets at 34.78.