Thami Tsolekile named in match-fixing investigation

On Thursday, CSA named retired one-day all-rounder Gulam Bodi as the “intermediary” alleged to have been at the forefront of the scam that took place during the Ram Slam Twenty20.

Reports suggest four former Proteas players and four domestic cricketers were offered money by Bodi, to underperform in the 2015 Ram Slam Challenge.

This was another grave development-which Daily Mail claims as the worst fixing fiasco since the Hansie Cronje episode 16 years ago-in the corruption scandal that has shrouded South African cricket of late, and has the potential to rock the cricket world again.

South African cricketer Gulam Bodi is expected to answer to match-fixing charges brought against him by Cricket SA.

The Weekend Argus in Cape Town revealed that four Proteas – players who have represented South Africa in one format or another – and four other domestic players were offered sums of up to R800,000 (£33,400) for one spot-fix, an enormous sum in a country where cricketers are paid far less than their counterparts in Australia or England. There is no indication of whether Bodi will plead innocent or guilty, but his lawyer played down the hype around the matter.

“Following our investigations and due process, we have reached a point where we can confirm that Mr Bodi is the intermediary who was charged by CSA in early December 2015 under the CSA Anti-Corruption Code”, CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat had stated last week.

Players can also be criminally charged under the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act, which contains a clause for sporting events. Bodi, who had apparently been experiencing financial difficulties, is said to have met players for coffee and dinner, in parking lots and even at an adult venue in attempts to earn commissions of up to R150 000 per fix.

Commentators said the series had attracted the attention of global match-fixers because it was televised live across the globe.