M A I N   N E W S

Williams accepted bribe offer

CAPE TOWN, June 9 (Reuters) — South Africa fast bowler Henry Williams admitted today he had accepted an offer of $ 15,000 from former captain Hansie Cronje to play badly in an international match, the South African Press Association (SAPA) reported.

SAPA said Williams had told a government inquiry into alleged match-fixing that he had accepted the offer made by captain Hansie Cronje in exchange for conceding at least 50 runs in his 10 over during the last one-day international against India earlier this year.

He bowled fewer than two overs after injuring his shoulder.

“If Hansie Cronje could do it, then I could do it too,” Williams told the King Commission probing allegations of match-fixing against Cronje.

Earlier, another South Africa international all-rounder Pieter Strydom told the inquiry Cronje had offered him up to $ 20,000 if the team scored fewer than 250 runs in Test against India in February.

Strydom, who is among four South African players accused by Indian police of match-rigging, said the match was the first Test against India in Mumbai from February 24 to 26.

“Hansie told me I could get 70,000 rand (9,900 dollars) if we scored less than 250. I said not but I may have considered it if I had played 50 or 60 Test matches,” Strydom told the King commission probing match-fixing allegations against Cronje.

“He did not put pressure on the but later in the day he nudged me and said with a smile: ‘how about 140,000 rand (19,800)?’ But I just laughed.”

The United Cricket Board (UCB) announced today that opener Herschelle Gibbs had been dropped from the team for next month’s Sri Lanka tour and would face a disciplinary hearing at home after his confession that he accepted an offer of a bribe from Cronje.

UCB Managing director Ali Bacher said an inquiry would be set up soon as possible following Gibbs’s admission yesterday that he had agreed in India this year to an offer of $ 15,000 from Cronje to lose his wicket for under 20 runs and later to lie about the deal.

Gibbs told the commission, headed by retired judge Edwin King, that he forgot about the deal and went on to score 74 runs off 53 balls in the March 19 match. He was not paid.

Cronje was sacked as national captain on April 11 after admitting he had accepted up to $ 15,000 from bookmakers for providing pitch and weather information. He has denied match-fixing.

Four days earlier, India police charged Cronje, Gibbs, Strydom and Nicky Boje with involvement in match-faxing during a one-day series against India in March.

AFP: Strydom said he knew Cronje to be “a bit of a practical joker”.

He said: “As I left the room I thought maybe I had passed some sort of test.”

Later Cronje nudged him after a practice and said “how about 140,000 rand ($ 20,000)?”

After the match Strydom had joked with Cronje that if they had accepted the offer they could have made a lot of money. South Africa made only 176 in the first innings but went on to win the match.

Strydom also revealed that Cronje had asked him during Strydom’s debut Test against England at Centurion in January what the odds would be on South Africa winning.

At that stage it seemed the game would end in a draw because three days had been lost because of rain.

Strydom said he undertook to phone a gambler friend. “Hansie said if I could get odds I should place 50 rand on South Africa. I phoned my friend and said if he could get odds he should put on 50 rand for Hansie and 50 rand for me.”