Cronje expected on Thursday

Speculation was rife at the King commission on Tuesday that Hansie Cronje will make his much-anticipated appearance in the witness box on Thursday.

Tuesday's hearings were unexpectedly adjourned in mid-morning after Shamila Bahoti, who is leading the evidence for the commission, applied for time to conduct further investigations. Commission secretary John Bacon said that the commission also wished to respond to a Cape High Court application to have the hearings broadcast live on radio.

But a widespread view is that Cronje may have decided to accept an offer of indemnity against criminal prosecution in South Africa and finally tell the whole truth behind the match-fixing scandal, or at least as much of the truth as he knows.

Cronje has apparently drafted, or is drafting a new statement for the commission following the admissions of Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams that they entered into deals with Cronje and the evidence of Mark Boucher, Lance Klusener and Jacques Kallis that they rejected approaches from their former captain.

There may, apparently, be several versions of this new statement, but although the Center of the Book has been washed by rumours of its contents, no one will be entirely sure of Cronje's evidence until he presents it to the commission.

What has changed since the start of the hearings, however, is that now Cronje's lawyers want their client to take the stand immediately, rather than waiting until all the remaining witnesses have given their evidence.

There can be no question that Cronje has been under almost unbearable strain since the scandal first broke in April, and the pressure on him has increased since the hearings began on June 7.

One by one Cronje's team-mates have undermined his argument that he had not involved any other South African players and it has surely become clear that the game is up.

On Tuesday Jacques Kallis lent his confirmation of an offer made by Cronje to himself, Boucher and Klusener before the second Test in Bangalore earlier this year, adding to a pattern, now clearly evident, of a jocular first approach made by Cronje to his team-mates.

Kallis also confirmed that, like most of the South African side, he had been initially opposed to the forfeiture of innings during the Centurion Park Test against England. As with the previous witnesses, though, Kallis acknowledged that the final day of the Test had produced enthralling cricket. "It was one of the most exciting Test matches I've played in," he said.

From evidence already led, it is difficult to know quite what to make of the Centurion Park match. In a sense, it has come to reflect the complex nature of Cronje's personality.

"He was strong in whatever he did," said Kallis. "He was a person who backed himself. He never stood down to anyone."

But then Kallis added that Cronje was open to suggestions and listened to team-mates before also claiming that winning was very important to the captain and that none of the South Africans had wanted to lose to England.

For every claim that the Centurion Park match has to be under suspicion, there is a counter-claim that it provided a terrific and unexpected conclusion and was good for Test cricket. Like Daryll Cullinan last week, Kallis pointed out that South Africa had come very close to winning, and might well have done so had Paul Adams not been injured.

Dave Richardson proved to be the day's last witness before the adjournment, giving his version of the 1996 Bombay team meeting. The retired wicketkeeper provided an explanation for the contradictory versions of exactly how many meetings took place, telling of an initial discussion about the offer to throw the game among senior players, a meeting of the full squad, at which Andrew Hudson had voiced his opposition to the offer, and then a post-meeting discussion among four or five senior players.

Richardson was also the first witness to place former coach Bob Woolmer at the meeting, saying that Woolmer had come in after the team had decided to reject the offer.

Richardson also said that he had discussed Pat Symcox's claim that Mr X, a still-current India player, had approached him (Symcox) in either Delhi or Bombay to throw a match. Richardson said he knew the identity of Mr X, and for a moment seemed about to reveal it, before drawing back.

"I don't see it's may place to make it public," he said, after referring to the claims made of death threats during Ali Bacher's testimony on Monday.