'The Captain and the Bookmaker' - Hansie Cronje

[Jungle Jumbo]

For those in the UK or with access to UK television (specifically BBC Four).

Not Cricket: the Captain and the Bookmaker (BBC Four)

I've just seen this and thought I'd let others know, available online for a week or so and repeated on BBC Four most evenings for the next week (along with a documentary on D'Oliviera, which I haven't yet seen).

Very well written and produced. Of particular interest was the interview with Marlon Aronstam, who just exudes arrogance and contempt. The Cronje affair broke just as I was beginning to take an interest in cricket when I was 9, 10 and so at the time the whole concept of match-fixing meant nothing to me, particularly as I had no knowledge of the games implicated in the match-fixing.

Also there are interviews with Bob Woolmer presumably filmed during Pakistan's practice sessions prior to or during the 2007 World Cup, just days before his death.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

What I appreciate about Aronstam is that he never placed blame on anyone who he truly believed was not involved. He was very candid about his beliefs though, which did come off as a bit arrogant. But it seemed more like a villain who knows he's a villain and therefore does not feel the need to hide.

Was an extremely interesting documentary, though I wish they didn't repeat visuals quite as much as they did. Surely there was a lot more footage available to them. Not a lot of new information for me, but it just reminded me of how huge the whole thing was. It seems like so long ago, but it's still hard to believe that all of that occurred. And I still haven't come to terms with his death.

 

[Jungle Jumbo]

Was an extremely interesting documentary, though I wish they didn't repeat visuals quite as much as they did. Surely there was a lot more footage available to them. Not a lot of new information for me, but it just reminded me of how huge the whole thing was. It seems like so long ago, but it's still hard to believe that all of that occurred. And I still haven't come to terms with his death.

Are you able to access that from Trinidad then? Via the BBC's website? Thought it was UK only, if so, rest of the world, enjoy.

Yeah, I thought more footage could have been found, particularly early on in his career - we saw very little of him in action, which I think would have added to the effect. I suppose that wasn't the thrust of the documentary.

 

[Chubb]

I agree that the visuals got repetitive; however, don't forget it costs a lot to procure lots of footage, and if they had a small budget they had to make the best use of what they had.

It was a very interesting story; it was informative to see Cronje's school and the opinions of Telford Vice, Imtiaz Patel etc, though Peter Roebuck was an unwelcome presence, at least for me.

 

[Beleg]

'..the need to go forward. The need for there to be clear transformation....'

'Hansie was told...in simple terms where there were opportunities, we have got to provide them to the black cricketer..'

'The philosophy is...if they were more or less equal the black man was given the first chance because he was deprived all along...'


Wow. Just wow. Talk about racism.

Edit: These people take cricket a bit too seriously. Krish Reddy is outrageous.

 

[jammay123]

i think it was very interesting having previously known little about the situation . i felt that the bookie who gave hansi the jacket was an ass in the way he near enough gloated in telling his freinds' i tell you their is something going on in cricket' and all the time he was involved in it himself.

he did also bring up the point of players being involved with corruption even if they got payed what footballers did their would be corruption and now with the ipl and the insane amount of money will corruption be more likely?

cronje was hugely hypocritical claiming he gives everything for south africa whilst not only conspiring with players to peform badly but also taking a cut of their money for himself.

 

[Beleg]

Brilliant documentary. Some of the commentators are assholes.

 

[The Baconator]

Need to watch me this. And the D'Oliveira thing,

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Are you able to access that from Trinidad then? Via the BBC's website? Thought it was UK only, if so, rest of the world, enjoy.

I'm at University in Southampton atm. Heading back to Trinidad next week, mind.

 

[whitedazzler]

the guys a god n his death was murder - end of story

 

[Richard]

I'm at University in Southampton atm. Heading back to Trinidad next week, mind.

Something that's troubled me for ages. Why don't you change your location when you're over here?

 

[Richard]

It seems like so long ago

Barely seems like yesterday to me TBH. It was just a little while after I'd got into cricket properly, and gained my love of South African cricket. I was so, so disappointed, and for months and months afterwards I kept hoping that someone was going to unearth something that showed Cronje's part wasn't anywhere near as bad as had first been thought, and he was going to be allowed back into the team and welcomed back with open arms, etc. etc. It truly was horrible to find someone you'd always admired so much was so badly implicated in such bad stuff. So strange, too, because it really was out-of-character in so many ways.

 

[Mr Mxyzptlk]

Something that's troubled me for ages. Why don't you change your location when you're over here?

Because it troubles you for ages.

 

[Jono]