Cricket official attacked

DURBAN, APRIL 16. The match-fixing scandal involving the sacked South African cricket captain, Hansie Cronje, has provoked an attack on a prominent cricket official of Indian origin here as white-dominated media continued to rally behind the disgraced skipper.

Mr. Sadha Govender, chairman of the Kwazulu-Natal Cricket Development Programme, has alleged that he was slapped and kicked by whites who shouted that ``Charros (slang for Indians) brought Cronje down'', during the first one-day match between South Africa and Australia on Wednesday night at the Kingsmead ground. Mr. Govender said he was attacked by a group of white men after a function where 100 former players and officials of the former black Natal Cricket Board and white Natal Cricket Association had assembled.

Inquiry from today

JOHANNESBURG, APRIL 16. A judicial inquiry into allegations of match-fixing against the former South African captain, Hansie Cronje, will be launched here tomorrow, the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) announced today.

Ms. Bronwyn Wilkinson, Communications Manager of the UCB, said today a judge was expected to be named tomorrow and discussions would start immediately to establish the terms of reference.

Ms. Wilkinson said the UCB and the Government Departments of Justice and Sport would jointly brief the appointed judge. It would be up to the judge to decide whether the inquiry would be held in public or in-camera, she said.

A report quoting The Sunday Times, London, said the Scotland Yard was in touch with Indian police over the investigations in the match-fixing racket.

Media reports also said that the England skipper, Nasser Hussain, will be asked to give his testimony to the judicial inquiry following new allegations against Cronje on the rain-hit fifth and final test between the two in January.

- AFP, PTI

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