The Hansie Cronje Story

Remembering Wessel Johannes Hansie Cronje. This Proteas' cricketer had always impressed me. He did give his career a promising start when he debuted in 1992 and was immediately recruited in the world cup squad. Eventually, he went on to captain the South African cricket team shortly after in the mid-'90s.

But what is it that impresses me so much about this player? He wasn't the best in his team, forget about being the best in the world at that point in time. Because back then, cricket was at its peak of popularity and many legends were in the making. Some of those include Rahul Dravid, Ricky Ponting, Jacques Kallis, Brian Lara, etc. And South African cricket was something of its own, very intimidating back then. Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock opened the pace attack, and that pair was extremely successful for a reason.

The thought of facing the White Lightening or Polly, that too with the new ball, was enough to make even the world-class batsmen sweat. And even with the old ball, they had to counter Pollock`s reverse swing. And mind you, having fielders like Jonty Rhodes and Herschelle Gibbs on your side just makes things worse for the opposition. With the former known as the superman of cricket, Jonty believed that he could fly and so did we! Mark Boucher had reliable hands as a wicketkeeper. World-class batsmen like Gary Kirsten, DJ Cullinan, Jacques Kallis were present in the team.

(From left to right: Gary Kirsten, Lance Klusener, Patt 

Symcox, Allan Donald, Shaun Pollock, Jacques Kallis).

Kirsten established himself as a reliable opener with a defensive style, who'd go on the offensive once the ball was getting old and rugged. Kallis went on to be one of the most legendary cricketers of all time, the man doesn't need an introduction. A classy all-rounder, with an unmatched concentration. And Cullinan, well he isn't spoken of that much today but mind you was he talented. He could time the ball like Rohit Sharma, such a classy player who would've had a bright future if he didn't keep repeating the same mistakes. One of those includes being Shane Warne's victim.

A team where even tailenders could bat. Patt Symcox, an off-break bowler who came down the order would get promoted and he'd actually play a promising knock! And just when you had managed to somehow dismantle the mighty batting lineup, Lance Klusener would come out of the syllabus and astonish you with his pinch-hitting abilities. Pollock was a good hitter of the ball too, he possessed some serious batting talent that he never really bothered to throw light on. That was the depth of their batting lineup. Hansie wasn't even the best all-rounder in his team, Kallis and Klusener outshined him. In fact, Klusener has proven to be a match-winner and a feared link of the Proteas' batting lineup in that era.

However, what most people forget to consider is that he captained them. Hansie made South African cricket what it was. He watched from the shadows and came up with strategies and an attitude that changed South Africa's image in world cricket. He rarely expressed his frustration or disappointment on the field and mostly had a neutral face if his team's performance wasn't up to par. This is most often observed during blunders like dropped catches, or Allan Donald's run out in the infamous semi-final of 1999. It was a captain's role to bring out the best in his players, give them opportunities, and most importantly believe in their abilities. And Hansie played that role beautifully.

       ODI                             TEST

  Matches: 188                       Matches: 68

  Runs: 5,565                          Runs: 3,714

  Wickets: 112                         Wickets: 135

As a batsman, he wasn't the most consistent performer. His shots were ordinary, and his playing style wasn't unique or memorable in any way. However, what mattered was he didn't let his limitations define him or hold him back. Runs came off his bat whenever it mattered. He had the potential of hammering the most elite spinners like Shane Warne and Muralitharan, that too when they were young and in their prime! As a bowler, he neither had too much pace nor could he swing that much. He was just an ordinary medium pacer, a backup to be precise.

Most considered him to be a part-timer, he didn't have Donald's pace or Pollock's swing. But ask the greatest cricketer of all time, Sachin Tendulkar, who the toughest bowler he faced was. And his answer would be 'Hansie Cronje' as he's already stated in many interviews. It was difficult to read his line and length, and despite not being the best in his team he was a threat. He sacrificed pace for accuracy, which also built-up pressure. And through a captain's analysis, he set the perfect field to deceive a batsman. He possessed talent, just that it was overshadowed.

His life took a major turn when he confessed to match-fixing in 2000. There were allegations against him, which stated that he had sold his loyalty to his country and the sport for money. He received a lifetime ban from cricket, and he attempted to challenge this harsh decision but to no avail. Other cricketers like Herschelle Gibbs and spinner Nicky Boje were also rumored to be involved. Although the latter denied any involvement, Gibbs was suspended for 6 months and also fined a hefty amount of 60,000 rupees by then standards. Henry Williams was also fined 10,000 rupees and banned for 6 months, although he's easily forgettable because he made only 7 appearances in the international jersey.

South African culprits: Herschelle Gibbs, 

       Nicky Boje and Henry Williams

Indian culprits: Mohammad Azharuddin (captain), 

             Ajay Jadeja, Manoj Prabhakar

According to him, Gibbs was supposed to score less than 20 and he himself was supposed to concede more than 50 runs in his ten overs. However, Gibbs made a quick half-century and Williams got injured in his second over itself, thereby not qualifying to avail the cash. From the Indian side, skipper Mohammad Azharduddin, Ajay Jadeja, and Manoj Prabhakar were accused of being guilty. And although most of their bans were lifted in a few years, they were obviously too old by then to make a comeback. Many people including Hansie's teammates, rivals, and the countrymen themselves were astonished. Sure, it was a disgusting act. It was an insult to the sport, and it portrayed cricket in a bad light.

But he admitted his mistake, and that's what matters. Compared to South African corruption in general, what Hansie did was minor. Yet he apologized in a touching way, more than his own countrymen believed he should have. He was an honorable man who did confess and broke down into tears just seconds after. When he realized that his teammates really looked up to him, he regretted his blunder. “My great passion for the game and for my teammates was matched by an unfortunate love for money." Those were the exact words quoted by him regarding his shameful act.

(Hansie finally confesses and breaks down into tears, 

    a moment that changed world cricket forever).

The amicable environment in the team was shattered. And from that day onwards, he went down in textbooks as a villain, a traitor. Hansie's story tells us that no matter how many good things you do, one bad thing is enough to tarnish your image and even make the good deeds appear questionable. And honestly, that's how I believe life should be. There shouldn't be any room for traitors. I personally don't believe in second chances, because any mistake that's intentional can't be considered as one.

But confessing in front of the entire world, knowing that you're going to be judged for the rest of your life and have your career finished is something that needs to be admired. He was man enough to admit his mistake, and it's no doubt that his confession changed cricket forever. Unfortunately, Hansie died in a plane crash in 2002 which is believed by many to be a planned murder initiated by a cricket betting syndicate. So that no further information was leaked involving the scandal by Cronje himself. It's been 18 years, and considering the damaged state that South African cricket is in at present, one cannot help but hope for a new Hansie Cronje to be reborn and guide the team in the right direction.

Everything has changed, since then. Cricket has evolved from a classic battle between a ball and bat to a batsman's show with shorter formats and batsman-friendly pitches. It has slowly begun to fade away in popularity. Test matches that once had packed stadiums are now striving for visitors. World-class teams like the West Indies and South Africa, are no more as mighty as they once were. And Hansie? Although his confession changed world cricket forever, he's only remembered in history for his match-fixing scandal and forgetful records.

Players who were guilty from the other team, had their bans lifted eventually. Some entered politics, some coached the next generation while the others joined the commentary box. Some of them even had biographical movies portraying their career, which depicted them as innocent (much to my frustration). But what about Cronje? He's erased from history and only remembered for being a disgrace to the sport. But I want the world to know, he's not a villain or a traitor in my book and I really look up to him. And that is despite being born in the same year as his death, and not having been fortunate enough to witness him play live from the television!

(The site of plane crash where Cronje took his last 

                                     breath)

The knowledge I have been able to acquire is enough for me to still consider him an honorable man. If anything, he was just a victim of his greed for money. Just like every other politician, every other prostitute, and every other gambler. And despite his mistakes, he is regarded as the 11th greatest South African much to mine and everyone else's astonishment. And that makes me happy, I'm of the opinion that his imperfections should not erase his contribution to his country and to the world of cricket. He's one of the very few people who not only lived a tragic life but also suffered a tragic death.

Behind this image of a 'cheater' hid a responsible captain, an elegant batsman, a mindful bowler, and most importantly an honest human being. Hansie, my man, you're being missed in this world. Cheers, champ!