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Cronje surrenders money; mystery man identified

Deposed South African skipper Hansie Cronje has surrendered $10,000, which he reportedly took from Indian bookmakers, to his lawyer. The money will be passed on to the South African reserve bank. Cronje is liable, says Paul Martin, editor in chief of Live Africa who broke the story, to face charges for bringing the money illegally into the country, flouting SA's own currency laws.

Meanwhile, the Mercury newspaper has reported that the mysterious South African national, who reportedly served as intermediary between Sanjeev Chawla and Hansie Cronje, is one Hamid Cassim.

Nicknamed Banjo, Cassim is reportedly a Johannesburg-based businessman who is friendly with the likes of Cronje, Mohammad Azharuddin and Sachin Tendulkar. As per the Mercury story, it was Cassim who brought Chawla and Cronje together.

Cassim himself has refused to comment on his name being linked to the scam.

Meanwhile, Gulf News reported that it was Lance Klusener who tipped the Delhi police off about Hansie Cronje's underhand dealings. According to the paper, Cronje and Klusener had a fight prior to the third ODI, following which Klusener called the Delhi police to tip them off.

Klusener reacted angrily, saying he had never had a fight with anyone, let alone Cronje, and that he had no knowledge of anything underhand going on, and therefore could not in any case have tipped the police off.

In another development, former coach Bob Woolmer has said that he was offered $250,000 if he could get the South African team to throw a match.

And finally, UCBSA chief executive Dr Ali Bacher, and president Percy Sonn, are scheduled to meet the South African minister for sport in Cape Town within the next couple of hours, and an official statement is expected following that meeting.