The Hindu : Sport / Cricket : Boje is innocent, says Bacher

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, May 31, 2006

Sport

Sport - Cricket

Boje is innocent, says Bacher

Mumbai: Former Chief Executive of the South African Cricket Board Dr. Ali Bacher firmly believes that Nicky Boje, alleged to have been involved in the match-fixing scandal, is innocent of any wrongdoing.

Bacher, the man behind the successful conduct of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, also said the scandal that blighted cricket's good name six years ago, was the biggest crisis to have affected the game in its long history and he was happy the game had come out of it.

Bacher is in India as consultant for a South Africa-based electronics display firm, negotiating with Indian centres organising the matches in the ICC Champions Trophy to sell giant TV display screens and giant scoreboards.

He also came out in support of having a players' represenatative in cricket administration.

Asked specifically about Herschelle Gibbs, who served out a one-year ban for match-fixing related activities, and Boje, Bacher said the latter had no part in the scandal.

``Nicky Boje was innocent. I know that for a fact. When it (the scandal) all broke, Herschelle Gibbs's body language was not good. Boje was fine. I can read people. He was innocent,'' said Bacher in an exclusive interview to PTI.

Both Boje and Gibbs were named in the conversation, taped by the Delhi Police, between Cronje and some Indian bookmakers and have been since wanted by the police for questioning.

They have refused to revisit India after 2000 fearing arrest. — PTI

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail