It’s now evident that match-fixing has gone on for years — Bacher

Bacher told public radio he believed no other player had been involved.

“I believe that to be the case but we have been let down once and I hope to God we are not let down a second time,” he said.

“He (Cronje) deceived me personally and the United Cricket Board of South Africa and the Government and people of South Africa. He deceived us all.”

Bacher said gambling on cricket matches was a huge business on the Indian sub-continent.

“The information that I get is that millions of dollars change hands in a single match,” he said. “That is the origin. It’s also become evident that down the years match-fixing has taken place. It’s almost a global issue.”

Cronje, who has denied any involvement in match-fixing although he has admitted providing information and forecasts, was sacked as captain for the three-match ODI series against Australia which began on Wednesday.

He and team mates Nicky Boye, Herschelle Gibbs and Pieter Strydom were charged by Indian police last Friday with cheating, fraud and criminal conspiracy during a ODI series in India last month.

The four have denied the allegations and an Indian bookmaker named in several media reports in connection with the charges issued a statement through his lawyer in London on Wednesday denying any involvement.

Sanjeev Chawla said he had never even met Cronje.

Imran demands action

Former Pakistan captain Imran Khan, who told a judicial inquiry 18 months ago that some of his former team mates had cheated and taken bribes, was one of a number of former players to call on the International Cricket Council (ICC) to take action.

“The International Cricket Council should come forward and initiate a large-scale inquiry with the help of other Test playing countries to unearth the realities behind this whole controversy,” Imran was quoted as saying by The News newspaper.

“The time has now come that all the cricket playing countries take a joint stance on the issue which is ruining the game.”

Former Australia off-spinner Tim May, now head of the Australian Cricketers’ Association, said the ICC had only itself to blame for the crisis.

May was one of three Australia players who accused former Pakistan Test captain Salim Malik of offering them money to play poorly during a tour of the sub-continent in 1994.

“If we look back to 1994, it was important then that cricket deliver an efficient and effective investigation about match-fixing,” May told Australian Radio.

“Given this is six years down the track it’s pretty easy to say cricket hasn’t done a very good job.”

The ICC added to the torrent of words without committing itself to any concrete action.

President Jagmohan Dalmiya told a news conference in Calcutta on Tuesday that Cronje’s confession required an immediate and thorough investigation by the South African authorities.

But president-elect Malcolm Gray, speaking in Sydney, said the council was unlikely to launch its own investigation.

“You have to got to remember that we are dealing with matters of an international nature,” Gray said. “It is difficult because sovereignty rights come into it.”