OWN CORRESPONDENT AND REUTERS, Johannesburg | Saturday
THE threat of a life ban from the game is hanging over the heads of South African cricketers Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams after both admitted to a disciplinary hearing that they accepted cash to under-perform in a one-day international match in India.
The players made the expected confession while appearing before the United Cricket Board (UCB) disciplinary commission into the match-fixing scandal involving former South African captain Hansie Cronje.
A third player, Pieter Strydom, pleaded not guilty to charges of breaching the players’ code of conduct and bringing the game into disrepute by agreeing to place a bet on the outcome of a match between South Africa and England in January.
Both Gibbs and Williams admitted to accepting an offer of $15000 from Cronje before a match in Nagpur earlier this year.
Gibbs was also charged with bringing the game into disrepute by lying to the UCB when he denied receiving any offers of financial reward after the scandal broke.
Counsel for the pair called for a suspended sentence for his clients, arguing that both Gibbs and Williams had not carried out the plan to throw the match and were heavily influenced by Cronje.
“My submission would be that the appropriate sentence would be a suspended one on the conditions that they do not offend again,” he said.
The plan was for opening batsman Gibbs to score fewer than 20 runs, while medium pace bowler Williams was to concede more than 50 runs in his 10 overs. Neither followed through on the deal.
However, UCB representative Brendan Manca called for a harsher sentence saying that the commission should not lose sight of the seriousness of the charges against the cricketers.
“If the sentence is totally suspended it might not send out the right signals,” said Manca, adding that the UCB had not instructed him to make any recommendations as to the severity of the sentence.
Strydom’s legal counsel Izak Smuts said although his client had discussed placing a bet with Cronje, he did not carry out the plan as he was told that the book had been closed when he telephoned an acquaintance with bookmaking contacts.
The sentences on Gibbs, Williams and Strydom are expected to be announced on August 28.