• Tsolekile named in fixing scandal

    Former Test wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile has been named as one of the players under investigation in the match-fixing scandal involving the Ram Slam T20 tournament.

    According to The Guardian newspaper, Tsolekile, who was last part of the Test squad in 2014, is alleged to have been paid at least R75 000 to influence a part of last year’s competition.

    Gulam Bodi has already been named by Cricket South Africa to be the ‘intermediary who allegedly attempted to recruit players for the Ram Slam T20 scam that has rocked the sport.

    Tsolekile was captain of the Highveld Lions during the tournament. If found guilty of fixing he could face a ban of five years.

    Players can also be criminally charged under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, which contains a clause for sporting events. The law was passed in 2004, four years after the former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje received a life ban from cricket for match-fixing.

    At least one more former South Africa player is believed to be under investigation, while a number of domestic cricketers are facing possible charges of failing to report approaches.

    The 35-year-old Tsolekile, whose Lions team finished second from bottom in the Ram Slam competition, has captained South Africa A and the under-19 team.

    When contacted by the Guardian, Tsolekile said: ‘No I don’t know anything about that. And I don’t want to comment anything about that.’

    Cricket South Africa won’t comment further on the matter until the investigation is finished.

    It has been established Bodi began to make overtures to players during the Africa T20 Cup, a season curtain-raiser played between 4 September and 4 October designed to give exposure to South Africa’s semi-professional players.

    During that time Bodi allegedly approached a player from the Titans franchise who apparently rejected his offer but who is now under investigation for failing to report his advances.

    Similar to the manner in which Cronje operated in the late 1990s, Bodi is understood to have pretended his offer was a joke, once it had been rejected by the player.

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    SA CRICKET