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Strydom too nails Cronje

Pieter Strydom, one of the four players charged with match-fixing by the Delhi police, along with Hansie Cronje, Herschelle Gibbs and Nicky Boje, revealed on Friday that he too had been offered money by Cronje before the first Test against India in Bombay in February.

Strydom's claim to the Judge Edwin King Commission, inquiring into match-fixing and corruption in South African cricket, on Friday came as a new shock revelation after fast bowler Henry Williams confessed that Herschelle Gibbs's statement on Thursday was indeed correct.

The spinner-middle order batsman said Cronje had offered him up to 140,000 rand ($19,800 / $1=7.059 Rand) if the team scored less than 250 runs in the first Test against India in Bombay, from February 24 to 26.

"Hansie told me I could get 70,000 rand ($9,900) if we scored less than 250. I said no, but I may have considered it if I had played 50 or 60 Test matches," Strydom told the Commission.

"He did not put pressure on me, but later in the day he nudged me and said with a smile, 'How about 140,000 rand?' But I just laughed."

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."

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 his (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."

The bookmaker had come back to him and said no odds were available. No bets were placed.

Herschelle Gibbs had said on Thursday that both he and Williams had accepted offers of 15,000 dollars to under-perform in South Africa's final one-day international against India in Nagpur on April 19. Neither received any money because Cronje's alleged promises to an Indian bookmaker were not fulfilled.

Agencies