Relief for anti-corruption campaign as Cronje appeal fails

Hansie Cronje's appeal against his life ban from cricket was rejected yesterday by South Africa's High Court in a decision that will be greeted with a huge sigh of relief around the cricket world. Had the outcome been different, cricket's credibility, along with the game's high-profile efforts to root out corruption, would surely have returned to the mire.

Instead it is Cronje who remains tainted, though he does have his sympathisers, particularly among South Africa's Afrikaner community. Indeed, his near evangelistic confession 18 months ago that he had taken money from bookmakers, has caused many to feel he should now be forgiven, especially as other high-profile players appear to have got away with it.

Understandably, those within cricket take a very different view. Speaking from the International Cricket Council's meeting in Kuala Lumpur yesterday, Malcolm Gray, the chairman of the ICC, felt that the tough line on corrupters had been vindicated. "It is ICC's highest priority to root out corruption," he said. "Any other verdict would have sent the wrong message to cricket and its followers.

The United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB), which will host the 2003 World Cup, is similarly relieved. Had Cronje's appeal been upheld, there was a chance that he might have ended up interviewing the World Cup finalists for a television station. Due to yesterday's ruling by Judge Frank Kirk-Cohen, that embarrassment can now be avoided.

For many, Cronje was the man who almost single-handedly destroyed the reputation of cricket. It would be utter nonsense then to allow him back, particularly as there are strong feelings among those who questioned him during the King Commission that only part of the truth was exposed. Although he admitted to taking money on several occasions, there appears to be a long spell between 1997 and 1999 when the bookies appear to have been hibernating.

To those at the forefront of rooting out corruption, like Lord Condon and his unit, making high-profile punishments like Cronje's stick is essential if future deterrents are to work. Corruption in cricket is being tackled, but it has yet to be eradicated.

Despite the judge ordering him to pay half the UCB's costs, an amount thought to be between £13,000 and £15,000, Cronje is not totally persona non grata. He will, for instance, be allowed to coach at schools not affiliated to the UCB, something he has been doing, and he will be allowed to work in the media, providing he does not require accreditation from the UCB.

What many really want, before they can begin to forgive, is for Cronje to show some real remorse. In a recent interview, he apparently veered between contrition and arrogance within a matter of sentences. As the interviewer concluded, it appears he was sorry for getting caught, but not for what he did.