A Delhi court has framed charges against four individuals in the 2000 cricket match-fixing scandal involving the India-South Africa Test and ODI series. The court’s investigation revealed that certain matches were fixed, and attempts were made to fix others. The series, which included two Test matches and five one-day internationals, took place from February 19 to March 19, 2000.
The court noted that the first Test match in Mumbai, held from February 24 to 28, was fixed, with an agreement that the South African team would not score more than 250 runs in an inning. This conclusion was supported by statements from Pieter Strydom and Hansie Cronje before the King’s Commission. In the second Test match in Bengaluru, from March 2 to 6, despite attempts by Cronje to influence other players, the match was not fixed.
Regarding the ODI series, the court found that the first match on March 9 in Kochi was fixed. Recorded conversations on March 16, 2000, revealed Hansie Cronje demanding outstanding payment, and Cronje’s admission before the King’s Commission confirmed that he had received money from Sanjeev Chawla for fixing the match. Cronje had informed Sanjeev Chawla about deliberately losing the first ODI, corroborated by other statements made before the King’s Commission.
For the second ODI in Jamshedpur on March 12, the third ODI in Faridabad on March 15, and the fourth ODI in Baroda on March 17, the court noted that Cronje’s statements to the King’s Commission indicated he was forecasting match outcomes. Although these matches were not fixed, Cronje provided inside information to the accused, facilitating bets and profits.
In the fifth ODI on March 19 in Nagpur, recorded conversations showed Cronje agreed to fix the match score and individual scores, including Herschelle Gibbs’ performance and the number of runs given by another player. Although the players did not adhere to the agreement during the game, a serious attempt to fix the match was evident.
The court also noted that large amounts of foreign exchange were transferred between the accused through hawala dealings for onward payment to the South African players involved in the conspiracy.
