Cricket cheat Bodi may still face charges
ALTHOUGH spot fixer Gulam Bodi has been banned for 20 years from all cricket-related activities, he may still be liable to criminal prosecution.
Cricket South Africa (CSA), following their board meeting on Friday, said the matter was in the hands of the South African Police Services (SAPS) and that they could handle the matter in a way they see fit.
The same goes for the other players investigated under CSA’s anticorruption code, but chief executive Haroon Lorgat would not divulge details of the ongoing investigation.
“I can’t tell you how far the case is in terms of its criminal prosecution. Our obligation is to report and that aspect of it is for SAPS to deal with.
“We provide them with information and they correlate with us. It is a prosecuting matter. Whatever leads we have will be followed through to its conclusion. That case is ongoing and we cannot comment on it. We cannot identify players who provide us with information.”
Lorgat denied that he faced
Whatever leads we have will be followed through to its conclusion
the music in the board meeting for his handling of the disciplinary matter involving Aaron Phangiso. The Proteas spinner was allegedly intoxicated and was told he could’t board a flight home from the ODI series against India in November. Lorgat denied that he had concealed the matter from board members.
“The only annoyance is that an (CSA) e-mail found its way into the media. The board is not at all annoyed with me. It was reported through the channels that was required. This board meeting was the first in which it could be discussed.”
The board and members’ council supported Lorgat’s request to undertake a comprehensive review of the domestic Ram Slam T20 Challenge with a view to expanding its cricket and commercial values.
The board members also officially gave AB de Villiers the thumbs up to be test captain. His first full-time assignment will be against New Zealand on home soil in August.
De Villiers, however, recently expressed reservations about his workload. “We monitor and consider all the players,” said Lorgat. “Some of them play an awful amount of cricket and we have to manage workload. That is a continuous discussion. I was once upon a time a selector and I can remember (Jacques) Kallis sitting out of a series against Zimbabwe.”
Lorgat could not say whether De Villiers would be afforded the opportunity to rest in some of the remaining matches on the England tour. “That is a matter for the selectors, team management and AB himself. If you ask me to speculate I’d think that KG (Kagiso Rabada) should be on that list. Isn”t it time to give him a rest? But it is a selection matter.”
CSA also announced their list of contracted players for the next year.