In 2000 this national team captain admitted taking around $100,000 from bookmakers for information and forecasts — and was banned from his sport for life.
The full story
On 11 April 2000 Hansie Cronje confessed to United Cricket Board managing director Ali Bacher that he had taken money from bookmakers for information and forecasts, after Delhi police released intercepted call transcripts. Testifying to the King Commission in June 2000 he admitted accepting roughly US$100,000 between 1996 and 2000 and offering teammates money to underperform, while denying he had ever thrown a match. The UCBSA banned him for life on 11 October 2000, and the Pretoria High Court confirmed the ban on 17 October 2001. He died in a plane crash on 1 June 2002.
The clues we handed out
— He denied to the end that he had ever actually thrown a match. The ban stood regardless.
— The confession came days after police in Delhi released transcripts of intercepted telephone calls.
— He testified about it under oath before a commission of inquiry in his own country.
— The sport is cricket, and he had captained his country through the late 1990s.
— Initials: H.C.
How this case played
ALLEGEDLY* edition No. 54. Three strikes to name Hansie Cronje, with a free clue
unlocked after every miss.
*A blind item you can check. Every puzzle is drawn from the public record —
court records, official rulings, and moments that unfolded on live television — and the
records are linked above. Allegedly.
Privacy Policy · Terms of Service · Cookie Policy · Sitemap