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Cronje drops out of Australia series

Hansie Cronje will not lead South Africa against the Australians in the three-match home ODI series this week.

The official reason being given for Cronje's withdrawal is injury.

However, as per a despatch sent in to Rediff by Paul Martin, editor in chief of Sport Africa, the reasons are not quite so simple.

In an exclusive interview with Martin, former captain Kepler Wessels, now a national selector, has said that he, Wessels, had been informed that Cronje's withdrawal is linked with the match-fixing allegations emanating from India.

Wessels told Martin that Cronje's withdrawal is not necessarily an admission of guilt, though it could be construed that way. Another way of looking at it, Wessels says in the interview, is to say that Cronje has pulled out to save the team from further international humiliation and low morale.

Whatever the reason, the exit of Cronje has come as a surprise. As late as Sunday April 9, Cronje had told the cricket authorities in his country categorically that he wanted to play. For the turnaround to happen within 48 hours is, sources within the South African media say, a surprise and a shock.

Wessels adds that the current situation could be deeply disastrous for South African cricket, and will definitely set back plans to bring the game to all races in the country.

Interestingly, the Cronje withdrawal is being kept a tightly guarded secret within the South African cricket establishment. At 14.30 hours IST, when Faisal Shariff of Rediff contacted national selector Maurice Garda to seek further details, the latter reacted with surprise. "I did not know about this," Garda admitted, "until you called me."

Meanwhile Dr Pregi Moodley, the South African team doctor, told Rediff on the phone from Durban that he was pretty surprised after learning that Hansie had dropped out of the team to play Australia on Wednesday in the first of a three-game series.

"Hansie is not injured. I had a look at him yesterday and he is fit," said Dr. Moodley. "He seemed unfazed, and was practising pretty seriously for the game,' added the doctor, who practices in Durban and takes care of the team whenever they play in Durban, and who toured India recently as the team's official doctor. "I am shocked, but nothing is impossible in today's times. I won't be too surprised with the outcome of this match-fixing case," he added.