Match fixing: The focus shifts to South Africa

Exactly two months to the day when Delhi police unearthed what in effect became the match fixing scandal, the focus shifts to South Africa and the central character in the drama. Over much of the last eight weeks, the focus has been on the events which have unfolded on the sub continent. Sure, other countries too have been drawn into the match fixing whirlpool and now and then happenings in England, South Africa and Australia have hogged the headlines. But generally the centre of activity has been India and Pakistan - Manoj c vs Kapil Dev, Dalmiya vs Bindra, the Qayyum report, the debate over its findings, Prabhakar's video tapes. Oh yes, there has been no dearth of action. But from Wednesday, when the King Commission of inquiry commences its sittings to investigate corruption in South African cricket, the focus will shift to that country. And somehow one feels there will be no dearth of drama and action there too. For the lead up to the commencement of the inquiry has been interesting to say the least.

For a start, former South African coach Bob Woolmer has backed sacked team team captain Hansie Cronje, saying he should be allowed to play international cricket despite having admitted to accepting money from bookmakers for match information. ``Mark Waugh and Shane Warne were convicted of the same offence by the Australian Cricket Board and given a monetary fine,'' Woolmer is quoted to have said. ``If Hansie has done the same as them, why should we be any different,'' he asked pointedly as he flew into Cape Town to offer assistance to the King Commission. Woolmer added that while he belives Cronje, he still thinks the commission should get to the bottom of the allegations against him and decide on an appropriate punishment. ``Hansie was up and down in his moodswings but he is a wonderful person and would never throw a match. From 1994 to 1999 he stepped onto the field with only one goal and that was to win.'' The comments mark a departure for Woolmer who when the scandal broke was one of the first to declare Cronje's career over.

In an interesting twist, Woolmer has also said that he knew the South African team had been offered $250,000 to throw a benefit match in India in 1996 - which they had declined. He has expressed the view that while this is the only such instance that he personally knows of, he concedes that match fixing and betting were rife in the game, especially in India and Pakistan.

Initially, Woolmer was not expected to be among the list of witnesses to testify before the King Commission. He was added to a list of 43 witnesses. Woolmer, who came to South Africa to promote his autobiography, said he was keen to testify, particularly about an offer to the South African team to throw a match in Mumbai in 1996.

King Commission secretary John Bacon initially issued 42 subpoenas. He confirmed that Woolmer, a former England player, was not among the witnesses originally scheduled to appear because he is based in England where he is coaching the Warwickshire team. ``We were not planning to call witnesses from overseas until we had assessed whether this was necessary based on the testimony from locally based witnesses. Now that Woolmer is in Cape Town and has volunteered to appear, he will be the 43rd person to be subpoenaed,'' said Bacon adding that it is possible that both Nasser Hussain and Andy Flower, the captains of England and Zimbabwe in a trianguler limited over series in South Africa earlier this year, could also be called to appear before the inquiry.

UCBSA managing director Ali Bacher has added spice to the flavour by saying that in his testimony before the King Commission, he will reveal the sources for his claim last month that match fixing had been a fact in international cricket in recent years and had taken place during the 1999 World Cup in England. All witnesses will submit written statements which will be made public. Leading officials of the UCBSA will only testify in the second week of the inquiry. Judge King says he will release an interim report by June 30 when the South African team are scheduled to depart on a tour of Sri Lanka. The inquiry is to cover the period between November 1 last year and April 17 and the 1996 tour of India.

But before the scene shifts to South Africa, there was some action in India and predictably enough, Manoj Prabhakar was again at the centre of it. Commissioner of Police (Railways) Rakesh Maria said on Monday that he was contemplating filing a defamation suit against Prabhakar who used a hidden camera to record conversations on match fixing. ``I am seeking legal advice in the matter,'' Maria told an Indian newspaper in Mumbai. Prabhakar had recorded conversations with Maria as part of his evidence against Kapil Dev. Maria had, during the discussion, named an Indian cricketer as having links with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim and his henchmen.

Prabhakar also came under fire from Indian Sports Minister SS Dhindsa who criticised the former Indian all rounder for secretly video taping him to substantiate his charges against other Indian cricketers. ``What he has done is unethical and a breach of privacy,'' Dhindsa said after a sports awards ceremony in New Delhi.

One thing is sure. Even while chief interest in the match fixing scandal will centre on South Africa from Wednesday, there will always be some action in India. The CBI is already on the job and its findings are awaited with bated breath. But in the meantime some of the leading characters are unlikely to maintain a low key profile.