Senior South African cricketers say their captain, Hansie Cronje, presented the team with a bookmaker's offer of $US 250,000 to fix a 1996 one-day international match in Bombay.
Players such as Andrew Hudson, Jonty Rhodes and Dave Richardson persuaded the rest of the team to stay away from the deal. But the offer, under which each player would have received approximately $US 20,000, was not rejected until it had been discussed at three team meetings.
To receive the money, the South Africans would have had to lose the game against India by between 70 and 90 runs.
Richardson said the South Africans were at the end of a long tour on the subcontinent when the offer was made. The players had received other approaches during the tour, but should not have considered accepting any of them.
"There's always going to be a guy, a maverick, who says 'Why not? We're going to lose tomorrow anyway.' Fortunately, on this occasion, we had a couple of experienced guys who said 'No guys, it's not on, we can't do it'," Richardson told the Electronic Telegraph.
Hudson, who reportedly took the lead in opposing the deal, said he didn't sleep well after the first team meeting.
"There were some saying adamantly no, but there were some who were not indifferent to it," he said.
The United Cricket Board has asked the South African government to set up a commission of inquiry, and the International Cricket Council has called an urgent meeting in London on May 2-3 to discuss match-fixing.
AdvertisementAdvertise with NZME.
Latest from Sport
Back from the dead: Crusaders sound a warning
Super Rugby should now be prepared for the defending champs’ hand to burst from the earth.