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SA Test against England to form part of Cronje inquiry

The controversial fifth Test between South Africa and England in January will form part of the inquiry into match-fixing allegations against disgraced South African skipper Hansie Cronje, an official said Wednesday.

The Test at Centurion Park, near Pretoria, in which both teams agreed to forfeit an innings after three days of rain, was won by two wickets by England with five balls to spare.

United Cricket Board of South Africa (UCB) communications director, Bronwyn Wilkinson, said Cronje's role in the Test would be probed by the judicial commission, which is expected to be set up in the next few days.

"UCB president Percy Sonn has confirmed that the last day of the Centurion Park Test would be covered in the inquiry as well as any other major points of suspicion," Wilkinson said.

At Cronje's suggestion both captains forfeited an innings to make it possible to avoid a draw. It was the first time in Test history, spanning 123 years and 1,483 matches, that even a single innings had been forfeited.

Deputy Foreign Minister Aziz Pahad told reporters in Capetown on Wednesday that the South African cabinet was keen to set up a judicial commission of inquiry into the scandal as soon as possible.

"It's the government's intention that we don't delay this matter longer than is necessary," Pahad said. "It is impacting on very many aspects of South Africa's image abroad."

Pahad said the probe would investigate all aspects of the scandal, including the possibility that international gaming syndicates may be operating in South Africa.

Sports Ministry spokesman Graham Abrahams earlier said that Sports Minister Ngconde Balfour would meet UCB officials in Cape Town on Thursday to discuss terms of reference for the probe, which is to be headed by a judge.

Cricket's world governing body, the International Cricket Council, said on Wednesday it had ordered a full inquiry into the scandal.

ICC president Jagmohan Dalmiya said he had told the South Africans to conduct a swift and exhaustive inquiry and warned that the guilty would not be spared.

Cronje admitted on Tuesday that he had accepted 10,000 to 15,000 dollars in cash from an Indian businessman for providing information and forecasts on a cricket match between Zimbabwe and England, which formed part of triangular one-day series in South Africa in February.

Police in India claimed they had a taped telephone conversion between Cronje and the businessman which appeared to focus on how four other South African team members would perform in a one-day international.

Cronje has denied taking a bribe or fixing the result of any game but admitted he had made "an error of judgement" by speaking to the businessman.

The cabinet on Wednesday urged gloomy South Africans not to treat the match-fixing scandal surrounding Cronje as a "national crisis", nor to fall into a collective depression.

"During discussion in cabinet, the observation was made that as important as this matter may be ... it should not be converted into a national crisis," chief government spokesman Joel Netshitenzhe told reporters after the bi-weekly cabinet meeting.

"It must be dealt with by the sporting community, it is not a national political crisis at all," he added.

"It is necessary in South Africa not to hype ourselves to the extent that (we believe) South Africa is collapsing, that there are serious problems, and go into a depression as a nation."