No sense in charging Hansie now: Ewie Cronje

Johannesburg: Ewie Cronje, father of the deceased former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje, says that he sees no sense in Delhi Police`s decision to charge his son now for the infamous match-fixing scandal that happened 13 years ago.

"They had the opportunity to charge (Hansie) then, but they could find nothing then. What will they find now?" Ewie Cronje told the Afrikaans daily Beeld on Tuesday. Ewie Cronje`s reaction after Delhi Police named the deceased Hansie as accused in the match-fixing case of the year 2000. No other cricketer has been named in the chargesheet apart from Hansie, who died in a mysterious plane crash in 2002. Ewie Cronje said it was good that the professional gamblers who "caused it all" will now possibly be punished, but expressed doubt whether the new development will deliver any results. Hansie had told the King Commission established by the South African government in the wake of the scandal that he had accepted money from bookies for fixing a match in India, resulting in his life ban from cricket. But according to his father, Hansie was not as guilty as was made out to be at that time and he was also not the only one involved. Nicky Boje, whose name also cropped in the scandal along with teammate Herschelle Gibbs, told the daily that it was high time the bookies were charged. Gibbs, who was suspended and fined after an investigation in South Africa together with teammate Henry Williams, also said that the Indian authorities should bring the bookies to book. PTI