These revelations by the Delhi Court have reignited the debate on match-fixing in cricket and raised questions about the extent of the problem during that era.
Hansie Cronje had agreed to fix score of Herschelle Gibbs.
The ghost of match-fixing has resurfaced in the cricket world with startling revelations made by a Delhi court, which framed charges against four accused in the 2000 cricket match-fixing scandal case. The court also said some matches of the India-South Africa test and ODI series were fixed, and attempts were made to fix other fixtures.
The scandal occurred during the two tests and five one-day internationals held from February 19 to March 19, 2000, and the shocking details emerged on Saturday.
Referring to the fifth ODI on March 19 at Nagpur, the court said that according to the recorded conversation, “it is evident that Hansie Cronje had agreed to fix the score of the match, and he had also agreed to fix the individual score of Herschelle Gibbs. He had also spoken to Williams to give more than 50 runs in his 10 overs. Both were promised USD 15000 each.”
“Though the players forgot about the deal in the heat of the game and did not play as per agreed terms, it can be concluded that a serious attempt was made to fix the match,” it added.
“From the recorded conversations, it is revealed that between the accused persons, large amounts of foreign exchange has also changed hands through hawala dealings for onward payment to the South African members who were part of the criminal conspiracy,” the court further noted.
These revelations have reignited the debate on match-fixing in cricket and raised questions about the extent of the problem during that era. The allegations against Cronje, who tragically passed away in a plane crash in 2002, have once again brought the dark side of the sport into sharp focus.