Kallis joins Cronje accusers

Kallis: Cronje's admission left him "totally shocked"

Jacques Kallis has become the latest South African player to accuse former captain Hansie Cronje of offering him money to throw a match in India.

Kallis confirmed evidence previously given by teammates Lance Klusener and Mark Boucher that Cronje had approached them in their hotel room before a game in Bangalore three months ago.

He told the King Commission in Cape Town: "I thought it was another one of his jokes. With the benefit of hindsight, it could have been his way of approaching us."

Kallis and former wicket-keeper Dave Richardson gave evidence on Tuesday before the hearing was adjourned at the request of state prosecutor Shamila Batohi.

It will resume on Thursday after further investigations have been carried out.

Herschelle Gibbs and Henry Williams have already admitted to accepting $15,000 each to throw a one-day match against India, but both claimed they did not go through with the deal and were never paid.

Kallis told the hearing that he was "absolutely shattered, totally shocked" when he first heard that Cronje had admitted receiving money from a bookmaker for providing match information.

"I thought he was the last person in the world who would do such a thing," he said.

The all-rounder also voiced suspicions about Cronje's decision to declare in the final Test against England in January - a decision which led to the tourists scoring 251 to win by 2 wickets.

"Test matches are hard enough to win at the best of times, so you don't want to give it away. We didn't really want to make a game of it and we were quite shocked that Hansie set them such an easy target," he said.

Richardson: declined to name names

Cronje has yet to give his testimony, but has been offered immunity from prosecution in return for a full disclosure of his activities.

Richardson, meanwhile, confirmed that he knew the identity of a current Test player who offered former temmate Pat Symcox a bribe during the tour to India in 1996.

But Richardson, who appeared in 42 Tests and 122 one-day internationals before retiring in 1998, said it was not his place to name the player as Symcox had refused to do so.

He also gave evidence about a team meeting on the same tour when Cronje mentioned a $250,00 offer to throw a match in Mumbai.

"If you divide it among 15, it's not a lot of money," he said.

Batsman Alan Hudson led opposition to the proposal and Richardson added: "It was the one and only occasion in more than eight years of international cricket where such an offer was discussed in a team environment."