Published: Jan 25, 2016, 07:08 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 25, 2016, 07:36 PM (IST)
South African cricketer Gulam Bodi was banned for a period of 20 years from all forms of cricket as well as related activities by Cricket South Africa (CSA) after he admitted to charges of conspiring to corrupt matches during the recent Ram Slam Twenty20 tournament. The ban takes effect immediately, with CSA chief Haroon Lorgat making the announcement of the same during the tea interval of Day Four of the ongoing fourth and final Test between South Africa and England at the SuperSport Park in Centurion. Bodi was among the chief accused in the recent match-fixing scandal, which rocked South African cricket and rears its ugly head in the country for the first time since the infamous episode involving former South African skipper Hansie Cronje at the turn of the millennium. READ: Gulam Bodi revealed to be ring-leader in Ram Slam T20 match-fixing scandal
According to ESPNCricinfo, Bodi was said to have been co-operating with the South African board officials, especially with members of the anti-corruption unit. According to the latest reports, Bodi is believed to be the ring leader of the match-fixing activities by Afrikaans newspaper.The Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities of 2004 makes match-fixing and spot-fixing in sport a crime in South Africa.
His actions have found condemnation from several former South African greats, including Makhaya Ntini, who said that those involved in the scandal were hurting their family aside from themselves with their participation in such murky issues. The former pacer also said that the accused have never been motivated, and could lose their livelihood and get jailed for the same.
Bodi, who hails from Hathuran in Gujarat in India, has played two One-Day Internationals (ODI) and a Twenty20 International (T20I) in 2007 for South Africa, and was also considered the chief reason for South African-born star cricketer Kevin Pietersen’s emigration to England, with Bodi getting picked over the latter due to the quota rules.
