Cricket: The Cronje tapes - full transcript

This is a transcription of conversations that allegedly took place between London-based bookmaker Sanjay Chawla and South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje on various occasions during the Pepsi series in March 2000. Given by the New Delhi Police in a press conference.

Sanjay Chawla: Hello.

"Hansie Cronje": Hello.

Sanjay: Hello, hi Hansie.

"Cronje": Hello, hi Sanjay.

Chawla: Yeah, I'm in the lobby at the moment. Is it possible I can drop in for a few minutes?

"Cronje": Where are you? In the lobby?

Chawla: Yeah.

"Cronje": You can come in.

Chawla: I can come in.

"Cronje": Yeah, I am in 346.

Chawla: All right no more. OK bye, wee you in two minutes.

"Cronje": Yeah OK.


"Cronje": OK you are back in London.

Chawla: Yeah, I'm back in London.

"Cronje": I had a look at the pitch today, it can turn big.

Chawla: It can turn big?

Sanjay Chawla: Is Strydom playing?

"Hansie Cronje": Yes he is playing. Yeah.

Chawla: Boje?

"Cronje": Boje is playing.

Chawla: And who is playing? Gibbs?

"Cronje": Gibbs and myself.

Chawla: Yeah, what about anybody else?

"Cronje": No, I won't be able to get any more.

Chawla: You won't be able to get more?

"Cronje": No.

Chawla: Ok, just tell me. But you have only four with you and not anybody else?

"Cronje": No.

Chawla: (Lance) Klusener and no one?

"Cronje": No, no, impossible, impossible. They were saying that they were already doing Cochin. The other guys are already angry with me because I have not received their money you know.

Chawla: But I told you I have already given him altogether 60.

"Cronje": Ok.

Chawla: And tomorrow I can deposit the money in your account, it is not a problem because of the time difference. Tomorrow itself I can deposit the money.

"Cronje": Ok. Everything is fine. Spoken to Gibbs and to Williams and Strydom. Everything is fine.

Chawla: And how many runs for Gibbs?

"Cronje": Less than 20.

Chawla: Less than 20?

"Cronje": Yeah.

Chawla: And if you score 270 it is off?

"Cronje": Ok, and financially the guys want 25. They want 25 each.

Chawla: Alright, ok.

"Cronje": So that's 75 for those three and what can you pay me? I do not know how much you pay me.

Chawla: You say.

"Cronje": If you give me 140 for everybody.

Chawla: 140 altogether?

"Cronje": Yeah.

Chawla: Ok, that's fine.

"Cronje": Alright. So we definitely are on.

Chawla: OK and one last thing I want to ask you, you know just in case India bat first and if they get out for less than 250 and when you come to bat in the second innings, is it possible you could ask Gibbs to? His wicket? We will score him out and try to score slowly and not so fast so that you know? Maybe we can get out of it.

"Cronje": OK.

Chawla: And just in case India is all out for less that 250 if they bat first.

"Cronje": OK I will tell him.

Chawla: Yeah.

"Cronje": I will tell him.

Chawla: And because if he starts scoring so early then we wont be able to get out of it.

"Cronje": OK. Not so early in the first five or six in the Indian innings.

Chawla: Yeah.

"Cronje": OK.