THAMI Tsolekile has admitted not reporting offers to fix matches that he received from Gulam Bodi, but insists he is innocent of corruption.

Tsolekile also claims that Bodi, who has been banned for 20 years for serving as a middleman between fixers and players in this season s franchise T20 competition, told him Alviro Petersen exposed the racket to Cricket SA (CSA) only after his attempts to get in on the deal had failed.

The former test wicketkeeper says many players have been drawn into the investigation into the saga, and he believes CSA has hung him out to dry by, he claims, leaking his name and others selectively to the media.

Tsolekile spoke out weeks after disappearing from public view. He last played for the Lions in December, and is not training with the squad.

All I can tell you is that I m clean and never did match-fixing I can bet my life on that,” he said. I declined Bodi s offers and maybe I m guilty of not reporting. I guess that goes for lots of other players.”

Petersen did report the offers. His version, he told the Sunday Times, is that: I am the whistle-blower

Tsolekile differed with that: Bodi told me Alviro wanted R600 000 per game and R300 000 up front and when they didn t agree on a deal then he reported.”

Bodi s lawyer, Ayoob Kaka, declined to comment.

Petersen denied that he had gone to CSA only after failing to reach terms with Bodi, and said he was not suspected of wrongdoing. But Tsolekile claimed otherwise.

Alviro is also part of the investigation, he said. I was told this by the anti-corruption guys.”

Tsolekile was curious why his name and that of Lonwabo Tsotsobe, who has also protested his innocence, have appeared in the media. Lots of players have been questioned, I know that for a fact,” Tsolekile said. Why did CSA choose to expose my name and Lopsy and not other guys?”

Asked for comment, CSA responded and then said that their comment was not on the record.

The cloak of secrecy around the scandal is fuelling speculation about the extent of fixing in SA cricket, while eroding the game s credibility in the eyes of a public.

The fiasco has also taken its toll on the individuals whose names have been mentioned.

Thami has been saying he s in a terrible state of mind because of all the investigation around him,” a source close to Tsolekile said.

The same thing is happening to Lopsy They are going through hell.”

Indications are that the investigation will grind on for months and more names could be whispered rather than confirmed.

This is only the first innings of a match cricket knows it can t win but is duty-bound to play if it wants to regain its selfrespect.