Dr Ali Bacher recalls the time when he first heard about Hansie Cronje and the match fixing scandal. But he also remembers being told to put a lid on it.
Dr. Bacher was apparently instrumental in bringing the late Hansie Cronje to the South African team. However, he recalls how shocked he was and in denial upon hearing allegations of the inspirational South African captain being involved in the murky affair of 2000.
But he said he was aware of the matchfixing being prevalent and states further to a local newspaper that he did bring it to the notice of the ICC during meetings between 1996 and 1999 but they went without being recorded or addressed.
Bacher had spoken out at Cronje’s funeral, after initially being angry at being let down, but emotionally distraught over the death of the captain in a plane crash.
Bacher even stated that players, who did not receive payments the kind witnessed these days, could have perhaps succumbed to the betting tribes of bookies about who would bowl the first over, etc. or predicting forecast.

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