When cricket lost its innocence

Early this year in January, it was the 20th anniversary of what is now infamously known as the “leather jacket Test” in which Hansie Cronje forfeited their second innings to offer England a chance to have a go at the target on the final day of a rain-marred Test in Centurion.

It led to an exciting finish, with the Nasser Hussain-led side winning the match. Despite the loss, back then, the former South African skipper was hailed as innovative and bold but little did one realise that the move was a result of a nefarious design hatched by Cronje and the book makers.

It, however, didn't take too long for the facade of innocence to fall. Less than two months later, the Crime Branch officer of Delhi Police, Ishwar Singh Redhu revealed to the media Cronje's recorded telephonic conversations with an Indian bookie Sanjay Chawla that related to match-fixing in the 2000 ODI series in India. Big bucks had changed hands and cricket was never the same again.

Cronje's misdeeds were first made public on April 7 and on this day in 2000 he was sacked from the South African team following the confession of his involvement in corrupt practices. Cronje, who died in an air crash in 2002, initially denied any wrongdoing but whether it was his own conscience or the mounting evidence, he finally admitted before the then South Africa cricket board chief Ali Bacher that he had not been "entirely honest" in his submissions.

Along with Cronje, three of his team-mates -- Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Pieter Strydom -- found to be complicit with him. Later in June, Gibbs, disposing before the Kings Commission which was set up to probe the scandal, revealed having received an offer of money to score less than 20 runs in the fifth ODI of the five-match series in Nagpur. He also disclosed the money offered to pacer Henry Williams to concede more than 50 runs. It's worth mentioning that neither did what they were asked to do.

Mohammad Azharuddin's alleged links to match-fixing also came to light when Cronje released a statement as to how the former India skipper had introduced him to bookie Mukesh Gupta in 1996 during the third Test in Kanpur.

During the course of this interrogation, the shady dealing behind the declaration in the Centurion Test too was exposed.

Subsequently, on August 28, Gibbs and Williams were handed six-month bans besides being fined with R60,000 and R10,000 respectively.