S Africans face life bans

S Africans face life bans

JOHANNESBURG, APRIL 30: South Africa's cricketers face life bans from the game for consorting with bookmakers under the terms of new player contracts, according to press reports.

The paper said the United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCBSA) was ``adamant ....the new contracts leave no room for ambiguity''.

Penalties for breaching the terms of the UCBSA contracts included ``immediate termination of employment'' and ``lifetime bans on those found guilty'' of dealing with bookmakers.

The players signed by the UCBSA, the National squad and fringe players, have been advised by the board to discuss the contracts with their lawyers.

The new contracts were drawn up after Hansie Cronje, Herschelle Gibbs, Nicky Boje and Pieter Strydom were charged by Indian police earlier this month with match-fixing during a One-Day series South Africa played in India in March.

All have denied the charges.

Cronje was subsequently sacked as South Africa's captain after admitting he took between $10,000 and $15,000 from bookmakers for information and forecasting on matches in a triangular tournament with England and Zimbabwe last January.