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An air of expectation as Cronje's trial continues

Roshan Paul

There is a kind of humidity in the air of the cricket community; the type of humidity that precedes a thunderstorm. Indeed, it seems that everywhere you look, there are dark clouds hovering about the horizon. The cricket community is bracing itself, for it senses a deluge tomorrow when Hansie Cronje will take the stand to face cross-examination. More than last Thursday's statement, it is this cross-examination that is expected to lift the cover off the match-fixing pressure cooker.

Cronje's 45-minute deposition focussed solely on his immediate experiences of match-fixing as he had been advised to confine himself to pure facts and avoid any hearsay and circumstantial evidence. Apparently, that is why the only two other players mentioned were Mohammad Azharuddin and Salim Malik. It is believed that he has much more to tell and may implicate several other players, including some Australians. The expectation that more big names will be brought into the picture gives tomorrow's cross-examination an almost soap-opera tinge.

Though there has been some criticism of prosecutor Shamila Batohi's performance so far, she will no doubt have some pretty sticky questions for Cronje. For example, it seems unlikely that the infamous MK would disappear from Cronje's life as rapidly as he entered it. After handing out $80,000 for "doing nothing", why would MK vanish from the scene? Unless of course, it was a set up to soften Cronje so that the likes of Cassim and Sanjay would be able to get their claws into him. Another thorny issue that Cronje will have to face will be the fact that his acceptance of money from Sanjay coincides very neatly with a shock South African loss to Zimbabwe in the fourth match of the Standard Bank triangular series.

However, Cronje's volatile emotional state is said to have deteriorated further since he and his family have been receiving threatening phone calls and death threats. According to Cronje, he has received about three or four calls on his cellphone, the number of which very few people have. The voice is believed to be that of a male of Asian origin and efforts are underway to trace the calls. How this will affect Cronje's testimony remains to be seen.

Meanwhile, Lord MacLaurin, the chairman of the England Cricket Board, believes that there is still much to be revealed. On a programme for BBC Radio, MacLaurin states, "There are a lot of whispers going around but we need concrete proof before any action is taken. If he does not come forth with those names of cricketers, administrators and bookmakers involved, I think he will face criminal prosecution."

MacLaurin also stated that anybody found guilty should be banned for life and possibly sent to prison. He also called upon the Pakistan Cricket Board to take further action on the Qayyum Report.

England captain, Nasser Hussein commented that England's victory in the Centurion Park Test has been tainted forever. Rather than a historic English triumph, he said, "It will always be remembered as the Test that was fixed."

Tomorrow's proceedings in South Africa are thus expected to be explosive and everybody interested waits with bated breath. The way things will go depend on the prosecutorial abilities of Batohi and the questions she asks. For, remember, with a five to ten year prison term hanging over his head, Hansie Cronje cannot afford to lie.