Former South African captain Kepler Wessels believes Hansie Cronje was involved in match-fixing long before he admitted to taking bribes in 2000. 

According to the Herald Sun in Australia, in what was an open interview on Fox Sport’s Cricket Legends, Wessels revealed that his former teammate was involved in match-fixing before his own retirement in 1994.

In 2000, Cronje admitted to taking bribes from bookmakers to influence matches since 1996, and was subsequently banned for life.

Cronje was the captain at the time and played 68 Tests, before passing away in an airplane crash in 2002.

The scandal has reared its ugly head once again 15 years later, with Wessels revealing concerns about Cronje during a 1994 triangular series (which also included Australia and Pakistan) in what would prove to be Wessels’ final tour with South Africa.

‘Hansie made a few comments during the last couple of games that led me to believe that things weren’t 100 percent right,’ Wessels told Cricket Legends.

‘We picked up a wicket and we were in the huddle and Pakistan were 120-4 or something.

‘And [Cronje] came into the huddle and said “don’t worry about this. We’re going to win this one because they’re not trying to win it”.

Wessels then described how he recalls that Pakistan, chasing only 215 for victory in another ODI soon thereafter, collapsed from 101-2 to 178 all out after victory was in their sight, with eight wickets falling for just 77 runs.

Wessels remembers ‘two or three’ run-outs where the ball was hit straight to their best fielder, Jonty Rhodes.

That match was part of Cronje’s first series as Proteas captain.

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