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Journalism of Courage
APRIL 12: Kapil Dev felt it was the “worst thing to happen to sports”. Speaking in London, he said “Being a sportsman, I feel sad a colleague and fellow-cricketer has done such a wrong thing. He has let down everybody.”
South African cricket board managing director Ali Bacher exclaimed “we in South African cricket are shattered. The UCBSA and the government have been deceived.”
New South African captain Shaun Pollock said: “We have to do a job…We are all shocked but what can we do. We have to go out there and play the game to the best of our ability. We hope the people will be behind us.”
Former cricket captain Kepler Wessels felt “it is very sad. It is an absolute disaster for South African cricket and it will be very hard to bounce back from…I never in my wildest dreams believed that South African cricketers would be involved in this kind of thing.”
Former South African coach Bob Woolmer said: “He made a serious error of judgement. What Hansie needs now is some support and as a friend and a colleague for five years I am prepared to support him.”
Geoffrey Boycott observed: “He’s such an upstanding guy. He’s straight and decent — everything he has done in his life has been dead straight…I’m not really sure what has happened, whether he has just lied to Bacher or actually been found guilty of match-fixing, but we will find out more later on.”
Information and Broadcasting Minister Arun Jaitley described it as “a sad event for cricket” but added it would enhance the determination to cleanse cricket of the “match-fixing menace”.
Australian captain Steve Waugh said: “I feel sorry for his family and the people who supported him during the week. They are probably the worst done by. He’s got to live with what he’s done.”
