Crucial week for Cronje

Cronje: In the dock

Former South Africa cricket captain Hansie Cronje, who is at the centre of a match-fixing scandal, will hand his testimony to the King commission this week.

Fellow South African cricketers Jacques Kallis, Mark Boucher and Lance Klusener as well as Ali Bacher of the United Cricket Board, will also stand as witnesses.

Kallis was quoted as saying in the London Sunday Telegraph that Cronje had approached them in the past.

"It's much bigger than I thought," said Kallis.

"I don't know that much about it. My testimony is going to be pretty boring compared to the others.

"Basically he (Cronje) just approached us in a joking kind of way before the second test and said something about money - he didn't mention any figures."

Bookmakers

Lance Klusener will give testimony this week

Klusener was reported to have said: "Looking back now, sure it was a big thing. But as far as we were concerned it just wasn't going to happen so we didn't take it seriously and that was the end of it."

Last week, fast bowler Henry Williams and opener Herschelle Gibbs admitted to the inquiry that they had agreed to offers of around £10,000 to affect the score of a game, although they did not act on them.

And then all-rounder Pieter Strydom stated that he refused an offer of over £13,000.

The businessman, Hamid Cassam, who is alleged to have acted as a link to Cronje and the bookmakers, will also face the hearing.