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Too little, too late

Paul Martin, in Cape Town

"It has devastated this country," Dr Ali Bacher, managing director of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, told the King Commission, looking into match-fixing in cricket. "I don't think this country has recovered."

"It's time," said Bacher, "to rid the world of this cancer."

Fine words. Fine sentiments. But is it too little too late?

Bacher told the packed Commission-hearing that he had first become suspicious about match-fixing during Pakistan's first and historic tour of South Africa in 1994-95. He said two United Arab Emirates officials, who had official invitations to visit and were treated as VIPs, were allegedly bookmakers. Salim Malik won the toss and decided to bowl in the Mandela Trophy day-night match at Newlands, Cape Town, when everyone knows that the ball seams around alarmingly there for the side batting second under lights. Pakistan duly lost, and Bacher was told by a dressing-room attendant that many Pakistan players were so incensed they were very reluctant to come onto the field.

Press reports started to circulate and a row broke open when vice-captain Rashid Latif and player Basit Ali "retired" from the next leg of the southern Africa tour, in Zimbabwe, clearly in fury over match-fixing (Bacher says Pakistani losses there also appeared fixed).

Why then did Dr Bacher not make a report to the International Cricket Council on these indications of corruption? Why indeed did he wait until the closing stages of the 1999 Cricket World Cup to voice his concern (over two matches, India v Pakistan and Pakistan v Bangladesh, revealed to him by Majid Khan, CEO of Pakistan Cricket)? Even then, Bacher says he did not tell the ICC which matches he was referring to. Why not?

Pakistan launched two different Inquiries, one by the persistent and impressive Judge Qayyum. Did Dr Bacher volunteer to give evidence to the judge? He did not tell the King hearing that he made any such effort.

In 1998, an Indian bookmaker known to Dr Bacher (how?), told him that Pakistani umpire Javed Akhtar, who gave eight South African batsmen out lbw as SA lost the final Test and the series against England in 1998, was "on the payroll" of other bookmakers in India. Was this reported back to the ICC then and there? Bacher did not give any indication that he made this report.

It's now been revealed that earlier this year Bacher received a verbal, then a written, detailed and compelling account by a key sponsor of SA Test cricket, cell phone giant MTN's Jacques Sellschop, about comments made to him by a young man describing himself as "the fastest bowler in the world". Either Shoaib Akhtar or, says Sellschop, a "genetic clone". Why did Bacher not immediately report to the ICC that this player had told his sponsor the going rate for losing a fixed match was one million dollars? And other corroborating details? Bacher says he did report, but how long after he got the letter?

Then, too, why was Dr Bacher so swift in rejecting Indian police reports on the Cronje tapes phone-tap? Surely he should simply have said the matter was being investigated? Why did he believe Cronje's denials without any real questioning?

Dr Bacher did make a significant admission. He implied that South African cricket officials had in general failed to properly protect their players against the advances of bookmakers, either by providing closer scrutiny at hotels and cricket grounds, or by giving proper education and warnings to the players.

And, for that, at least, he and the senior management of SA cricket deserve to be held accountable.

Paul Martin is editor-in-chief, Sport Africa and Live Africa