Witness says he told fixing inquiry 'different story'

Henry Williams, the former South Africa bowler who was involved in the Hansie Cronje match-fixing case, has admitted he was never offered a specific amount of money to fix games but had told a different story to the King Commission in 2000. Williams was banned for six months after the investigation but did not play for South Africa again.

At the inquiry, Williams testified that he had been offered US$ 15,000 from his captain Cronje to concede more than 50 runs in his 10 overs in the fifth ODI between South Africa and India in Nagpur. The same amount of money had been offered to Herschelle Gibbs to score less than 20 runs. However, while speaking to ESPNcricinfo during the practice match between the South African Invitation XI and the New Zealanders in Paarl two weeks ago, Williams claimed that no such details were discussed. Instead Cronje had joked with Gibbs and him, according to Williams, who said they were later convinced to pad up their stories for the King Commission.

In the match in question, Williams injured his shoulder and only bowled 11 balls while Gibbs scored 74, and neither received any money.

Williams admitted to being afraid of what might have happened to him and that he thinks there was a lot of pressure to produce a more detailed story to prove Cronje's guilt. "It was serious then, and after that I thought, alright, life must go on: it can't stop," he said. "But at that particular moment there was fear.

"When we testified to our lawyers what the story really was, they came up with a threat that we could be prosecuted for doing something like this. So it means we actually lied to our lawyers, who had to tell another story to get to somebody. I believe that was to get to Cronje and whoever was involved in this.

"I had never been in a court before. We gave our Senior Counsel the story. We had to come back and testify to the King commission - a different story. I don't know if we were forced to lie to get to somebody else. I'm still confused today.

"When people ask me I will tell them the truth. I'll say, 'That's what I said to my lawyers; what really happened'. Then, to the King commission, a different story. I don't know why, because we were forced by the prosecution. I didn't know what the hell was happening, what can happen to me. So I came up with a different story."

The version of the story Williams said is true was never heard by the King Commission, but he did expand on the details of what happened, almost 13 years later. "By the time I was in the shower [the morning of the Nagpur match], I heard Cronje in the room speaking to Herschelle but I don't know what they are talking about.

"When I put my shirt over my head, he [Cronje] said, 'Hey, let's throw this game'. I said, 'Ja, let's throw this game'. Because now he's smiling with me and I'm smiling with him - if you're going to bullshit me I'm going to bullshit you, so fine. There was nothing involved.

"At lunchtime, he [Cronje] came to me and said, 'We scored too many runs'. I looked at him and said, 'What do you mean?' He said, 'Guys, the deal is off'. I said, 'So what?' He never spoke to us about money - you're going to get this and you must go for that."

The lawyers who represented Williams and Gibbs at the King Commission, senior counsel Mike Fitzgerald and attorney Peter Whelan, deny that they had convinced Williams to lie on the stand. "That's outrageous," Fitzgerald said. "Why would I give my own client a version that implicates him? If I somehow persuaded him to lie, to whose benefit would that be?" Whelan called the allegations, "fundamental rubbish".

The King Commission secretary John Bacon said it was unlikely the investigations will be reopened unless they received something from Williams in writing.

Williams currently works with the Boland Under-19 team, while Gibbs plays in various Twenty20 leagues around the world. He is at present with the Perth Scorchers for the Big Bash League and refused to get involved in the current issue. "I spoke to Herschelle and he wasn't interested in commenting," Scorchers media manager Daniel Davini said from Perth yesterday. "He said, 'I have nothing say about that and I don't want to have anything to do with that'."

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Second, du Preez shine in Knights' win

Knights 475 (Second 210, du Preez 118, von Berg 4-117, de Villiers 4-73) and 42 for 0 beat Titans 335 (Davids 92, Malan 65, Siboto 4-47, du Preez 3-41) and 181 (van der Merwe 65, Kuhn 51, du Preez 5-53) by ten wickets

A double-century from Rudi Second and an all-round performance from Dillion du Preez led Knights to a ten-wicket victory against Titans in Benoni. The result put Knights fourth in the league, while Titans remained last, having lost five out of six games.

Titans won the toss but their first-innings suffered because no one went on to convert a start into a massive score. Five of their top six batsman made more than 30 but the top score was Henry Davids' 92. Pieter Malan and Graeme van Buuren also scored half-centuries, van Buuren being a witness to a slump that sent Titans from 245 for 4 to 335 all out. Du Preez took 3 for 41 while Malusi Siboto claimed 4 for 47 for Knights.

Not as many batsmen got starts for Knights but Second converted his into a double-century, the second of his career. He did not have much support though, and Knights slipped to 190 for 7, until du Preez came to the crease. Du Preez scored his second first-class century and added 253 for the eighth wicket with Second. By the time they were separated, Knights were leading by more than 100. Second was the last man dismissed, for 210, with Knights on 475.

Trailing by 140, Titans lost three second-innings wickets before they had scored. Johan van der Wath struck in his first over and du Preez bowled two batsmen in the sixth. There was no coming back from 0-3. Heino Kuhn and Roelof van der Merwe scored half-centuries but du Preez worked his way through the line-up to finish with 5 for 53. Titans were bowled out for 181. Knights had to chase 42 for victory and their openers did the job.

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Patel savours unfamiliar England success

Samit Patel, born in Leicester but of Indian heritage, knows a bit about cricket on the subcontinent. And having taken part in ten consecutive ODI defeats with England in India, he was well placed to put into context their success in the first match of the current series in Rajkot.

England's nine-run win was their first ODI victory in India since 2006 - and even that was the blip in a 5-1 thrashing. In 2008 and 2011, on each occasion Patel was a member of the side that lost 5-0 and when England last went to Rajkot four years ago, in a match played at the old Madhavrao Scindia Stadium, they suffered a 158-run mauling. That was Patel's seventh ODI appearance, and his first experience of defeat, but it was soon to become a wearyingly repetitive one.

"I've been here for ten ODIs before and lost all ten," he said. "It's just great to get a win here. Sometimes people don't realise how much of an effort it is to beat these guys over here. They're just good players in their own back yard. They play good one-day cricket all around the world but in India they dominate spinners and they dominate cricket in general.

"On past tours here we've not even won a warm-up game. To win the first ODI in Rajkot was fantastic. We lost the first two warm-ups again so we knew how crucial it was. We knew the boys were ready but what a great win and what a great start."

Patel has forged a reputation as one of England's best players of spin - his top scores in both limited-overs formats have come on the subcontinent - but it was against India's quicks that he did the damage during the final overs at Rajkot, clubbing 44 from just 20 balls to hoist England to a defendable total. The sensation of victory, at least, should help make up for the lack of applause.

"To play India in 2008 was quite demoralising," he said. "We put up good scores and they knocked them off; they put up good scores and we got nowhere near them. As a batsman when you hit a boundary and you don't get a clap it can be a bit hurtful really. You know you've played a good shot and no one's really appreciated it. That can eat a bit under your skin but it's about how you handle it."

England have not won an ODI series in India since 1984-85, when they had their sole success, and recent tours have resembled something like a nonviolent resistance, without the same end result. But despite well-documented weaknesses against slow bowling, Alastair Cook led the one-day side to an unexpected whitewash of Pakistan in the UAE last year and followed that up with a Test series triumph in India for the first time since that same tour of '84-85. Such improvements, suggests Patel, have given the squad confidence that they can pull off another upset.

"I think the way we've learned how to play their spinners is outstanding and a credit to us as a team because in past tours we've struggled," he said. "It just shows if you put in the hard yards and you learn you get your rewards.

"The Test series win was outstanding. It took a lot of courage, a lot of desire, a lot of hard work. It is something good to be a part of and I think [the one-day squad] can achieve it if we stay calm and level headed. If we look to be positive and back our own ability then we have a good chance."

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Clarke, Warner, Wade return, Henriques called up

Michael Clarke, David Warner and Matthew Wade are back in Australia's ODI squad for the matches against Sri Lanka in Brisbane and Sydney, while Moises Henriques has been included for his first international matches since 2009.

The selectors dropped Aaron Finch, Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith after the opening two matches, while Brad Haddin was also left out having picked up a hamstring injury in Australia's loss of the second ODI in Adelaide. Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson have been deemed fit to play, forcing out Ben Cutting and Kane Richardson.

"Changes to the squad that played the first two matches of the Series are the return of Michael Clarke, David Warner and Matthew Wade, after having a break," the national selector John Inverarity said. "Moises Henriques also comes into the squad as a genuine all-rounder whose bowling will be suited to conditions often found at the Gabba.

"Moises is a young man who has shown promise for some years with both the bat and the ball. This will be an opportunity for him to impress as we look for a good seam bowling all-rounder."

The national team coach Mickey Arthur meanwhile will have a break from the team for the Brisbane game on Friday, and will return to the team on Saturday ahead of Sunday's match in Sydney.

Australia squad: Michael Clarke (capt), George Bailey, Xavier Doherty, Moises Henriques, Phillip Hughes, David Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Glenn Maxwell, Clint McKay, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade, David Warner

More to come...

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We weren't able to cope under pressure - Hesson

New Zealand's inability to deal with the heat is what worries their beleaguered coach Mike Hesson most. After a second successive substandard performance with the bat in the first innings of a Test match, Hesson was let down equally by his team's lack of application as he was by their lack of heart but he does not seem to have a fix either.

"It's a very disappointing 24 overs," Hesson said in his third fronting up to the media on this tour. "We prepared really well. We knew what we were going to be confronted with. The most disappointing thing was that when we were under pressure, we weren't able to cope."

Notably, Hesson's reason for his team's under-performance was more deflecting than it was explanatory. He heaped praise on a strong South African XI who applied wave after wave of pressure on the vulnerable New Zealand line-up, so much so that they simply could not withstand.

"We spent five and a half sessions out there, so we knew what to expect from the conditions. The pressure is sustained. Guys are under pressure in terms of pace and bounce and their techniques are getting exposed. I know the guys are working extremely hard and that why it's disappointing.

"We sustained pressure at times but they coped with it and that's the thing we are struggling to do. When we get pressure enforced on us, we struggled to get through and the more you talk about it, the harder it gets.

"South Africa is a very tough place to tour. They are the world No.1 side for a reason. They replaced Vernon Philander with Rory Kleinveldt - another high-class bowler. Once their bowlers smell a bit of blood, they are ruthless."

New Zealand held practice sessions every day after their first Test defeat and Hesson confirmed that the standards of practices remain high and the commitment from the players is unmatched. "The players are working extremely hard to get better. After the last Test, we could have put our feet up and gone oh well, tomorrow is another day," he said. "The guys know that we are nowhere near where we need to be and we are putting the work in. The players are trying their very best but we are being outclassed."

An example of that is Martin Guptill, who has scored two runs in three innings and continues to look inept as a Test opener. Hesson said Guptill, just like the rest of the unit, has been putting in the hard yards but just cannot make them count. "Martin prepared well for this Test, he was in a good space and he will be very disappointed with the way he was dismissed," he said. "When the ball swings at pace, you do tend to follow the ball. Sometimes you play and miss those…"

But blame cannot be laid at Guptill's door alone and Hesson and his troops are willing to take their chunk of it. "We all share the load. I can't fault the work ethic. We've got a support staff who work extremely hard but this Test match and the last Test match, we just haven't been up to it.. All of us start to think if we are challenged in whether we are doing the right things and whether we are challenging the players in the right way but I can't fault the work ethic."

In questioning the methods and strategies, Hesson conceded that perhaps the management group could implement stricter controls on the group. "We train hard, we train bounce and swing, we ramp the machine up and work on that and maybe we've got to do that more. We are just touching the surface in that area," he said. "Guys don't like to be challenged too much but we are making training more difficult and that's something we will look to continue."

As for the Taylor-shaped elephant in the room, Hesson addressed it candidly while being careful not to create the impression that the former captain alone would have been the difference. "I've said all along we'd be a far better side if Ross Taylor was here," he said. "But we've also got some other fine batsmen, who haven't quite been able to show it in those first three innings and they've got one more innings in this Test match. I'm sure they will be very determined to make a difference." If sentiment in New Zealand is to be believed, Hesson's job may hinge on that.

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Root role revives childhood memories

Joe Root's debut winter with England could not have turned out more strangely. If his first Test appearance might have been designed for him as he had licence to bat as cautiously as he liked, his one-day debut was quite different as he found himself asked to provide a crucial role with the ball.

Root has not been more valued for his bowling since he was 12 years old, a slip of a lad experiencing his first taste of adult cricket, and given a few overs of offspin along the way, but that was his lot on his ODI debut against India in Rajkot as he did not bat and then bowled nine overs as England held on for a nine-run win.

"That probably hasn't happened since I was 10 or 11 years old, playing my first men's cricket," he confirmed, "but it was fantastic and I wouldn't change a thing."

That Root's bowling option might become useful, certainly in one-day cricket, has been apparent to all who have watched him at Yorkshire, but he has been used sparingly in county cricket for all that. He has taken only seven wickets for Yorkshire in his career and bowled only 80 overs, hardly the sort of grounding for a high-pressure one-day international.

In fact, he had become best known for Yorkshire's habit of giving him the first over in Friends Life t20 before whipping him off before opponents measured him up, a target largely designed to provide more bowling options later in the innings.

But Root did his England captain, Alastair Cook, proud. His first five overs cost 17, matching the success of Suresh Raina for India on a day when part-time spinners did well. In all, he conceded 51 from nine overs, a sound return in a match which yielded 644 runs on a flat pitch and glassy outfield.

He was scheduled to make his ODI debut against India in Rajkot at No 4, but he was slipped down the order to allow England's faster scorers to take charge of the closing overs and, as they posted a formidable 325 for 4, he never got to the crease. His claims are perhaps stronger for a Test batting place, but England's top six is not overly blessed with fill-in bowlers and his adaptability will not do his one-day chances any harm.

"I've been working hard on the bowling to give the captain as many options as possible out there," Root said. "The aim was that if I possibly had a chance to bowl I wouldn't disappoint and be consistent as possible.

Mushtaq Ahmed, England's spin-bowling coach, is building on the preliminary work carried out at Yorkshire. "I've been working really hard for a couple of years now and working here with Mushy," he said. "I need to make sure it is going to be a really big asset for me in the future and take any chances of having as many options as I can to give myself the best chance of selection."

It was all a different challenge from his unexpected Test debut in Nagpur in December. On a desperately slow pitch, and with England needing only to draw to win the series, he was preferred over the likes of his Yorkshire team-mate Jonny Bairstow and Middlesex's Eoin Morgan and made a technically-accomplished 73 in four-and-three-quarter hours which perfectly suited his side's needs.

His first Twenty20 appearance in another England win just before Christmas probably owed most to a short-handed squad as Bairstow left the tour early for personal reasons and he completed a hat-trick of debuts across all three formats in Rajkot, where he was once again part of a winning side. He must reflect on all the tales of England defeats in India and wonder about how well things are turning out.

"There are a few guys out here who have been on two tours before and not won a game, so I'm really pleased for those who have put all that hard work in and finally come up with a win. As for me, I'm still 22 years old and I just want to play as much as possible and take the opportunity if I get it."

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All-round Lions complete big win in three days

Lions 270 (Deacon 71, Williams 4-62) and 125 for 2 (de Kock 55) beat Cape Cobras 224 (van Zyl 44, de Bruyn 5-39) and 169 (Adams 88, de Bruyn 3-16) by eight wickets
Scorecard

Lions beat table-toppers Cape Cobras within three days at Newlands on the back of an all-round team performance and are now just 15 points adrift of Cobras.

Lions bowled out Cobras for 169 in the second innings which gave them a 124-run target. The batsmen, led by opener Quinton de Kock, then ensured there were no hiccups as they completed the chase in the 28th over for the loss of only two wickets. De Kock set the tone of the chase with a 75-ball 55 before Neil McKenzie hit a flurry of boundaries to expedite matters.

Cobras had started the third day on 81 for 6 - 35 ahead - but lost Johann Louw in the fourth over of the morning. An obdurate 63-run stand between Qaasim Adams and Charl Langeveldt took the lead past hundred, but the innings folded soon after Langeveldt fell to Imran Tahir. Adams, who scored 88, was the last wicket to fall.

Lions, who had chosen to field, bowled out Cobras on the first day for 224 with Zander de Bruyn taking a five-for. But Cobras sensed a first-innings lead when they had Lions on 131 for 6 at one stage. However, a crucial 110-run stand between wicketkeeper Thami Tsolekile and Cliffe Deacon - both batsmen hitting half-centuries - took Lions past the Cobras score to help Lions take a 46-run lead.

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Ajmal sweeps Pakistan awards

Saeed Ajmal, who was a notable omission from the ICC Test Cricket of the Year award list, has swept the bowling awards at the inaugural PCB annual awards function. Apart from being named the best bowler in all three categories - Tests, ODIs and T20s - Ajmal also won the PCB special prize for Best Bowler of the Year.

"Around the cricketing world, Pakistan over the years has been known for its bowling attack," Ajmal said. "To be named the best for the year from such a special group, for me this is an out of this world feeling. It took me 16 years to reach at this point in my life.

"Bowling in a Test match requires fitness, perseverance and skill. You have to think the batsman out. I am happy that I was rated as the best out of an attack that is considered second to none."

In 2012, Ajmal played six Tests in which he claimed 39 wickets at an average of 20.56, which was the best among the top ten bowlers. His best came in the UAE, where his 24 wickets at 14.70 helped Pakistan demolish England, the then No. 1 side in the world, 3-0. He also bagged 31 wickets in ODIs and 25 in T20s in this period.

Nasir Jamshed, who made a comeback to the Pakistan team last year, also won awards in more than one category. He was named Batsman of the Year in both ODIs and T20s, while the prize for the Test Batsman of the Year went to Azhar Ali, who scored 551 runs at an average of 55.10.

Mohammad Hafeez, who took over the reins of Pakistan's T20 team last year, was named the Player of the Year for his successes with both bat and ball. Junaid Khan, the young fast bowler, was named the Emerging Player of the Year.

The awards were decided by a jury comprising of Intikhab Alam, Pakistan's chief selector, Iqbal Qasim and veteran journalist Qamar Ahmed.

List of winners

Player of the Year - Mohammad Hafeez

Test Bowler of the Year - Saeed Ajmal

Test Batsman of the Year - Azhar Ali

ODI Bowler of the Year - Saeed Ajmal

ODI Batsman of the Year - Nasir Jamshed

T20 Bowler of the Year - Saeed Ajmal

T20 Batsman of the Year - Nasir Jamshed

Special prize for Best Bowler of the Year - Saeed Ajmal

Emerging Player of the Year - Junaid Khan

Lifetime Achievement Award - Imtiaz Ahmed

Most Valuable Domestic Bowler of the Year - Zulfiqar Babar

Woman Cricketer of the Year - Sana Mir

Blind Cricketer of the Year - Muhammad Jamil

Deaf Cricketer of the Year - Muhammad Shakil

Umpire of the Year - Ahsan Raza

Curator of the Year - Haji Muhammad Bashir

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North, Central Zone to meet in BCL final

North Zone 291 (Sajidul 76, Sanjamul 73, Ziaur 4-32) and 362 for 7 dec (Mushfiqur 89, Razzak 3-129) beat South Zone 205 (Soumya 51, Saqlain 6-74) and 278 (Sohag 85, Saqlain 4-90) by 170 runs
Scorecard

North Zone qualified for the Bangladesh Cricket League final after a 170-run win over South Zone in Mirpur. The game would have shaped into a thrilling finish but it tapered into a one-sided contest after the South Zone batsmen capitulated on the final morning.

In fact, the game had been in North's control after they had bowled out South for 205 runs in the first innings, taking a lead of 86 runs. Saqlain Sajib took 6 for 74, and the impressive left-arm spinner added four more in the second innings as South were skittled out for 278 runs.

North had a better second innings than the first, with Mushfiqur Rahim and Nasir Hossain contributing with eighties while Farhad Reza blasted an unbeaten 75. In the first innings, it was Sajidul Islam and Sanjamul Islam's 127-run ninth wicket stand that gave North a total to bowl at after they had slipped to 125 for 8 on the first day.

Central Zone 655 for 7 dec (Ayub 289, Mehrab Hossain jnr 218) drew with East Zone 396 for 8 (Faisal 92, Shahadat 3-73)
Scorecard

Marshall Ayub made the second highest score in Bangladesh first-class history when he made 289 in Central Zone's drawn game against East Zone in Bogra, which also helped his team to the final of the competition against North Zone. But strikingly, Ayub is now part of the highest-ever partnership in the country by adding 494 runs for the fifth wicket with Mehrab Hossain jnr, the second highest of all-time fifth-wicket stands.

Left-handed Mehrab also scored a double-hundred on the featherbed at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium but the pair joined at the crease after Central slipped to 56 for 4 in the 22nd over of their first innings. They slowly batted out the first day, and then the second before falling in the first session of the third day. Mehrab made 218 with 27 fours and two sixes while the right-handed Ayub struck 30 boundaries and four sixes in his 289.

Ayub was also part of the 420-run partnership that this pair broke, and has also crossed the 1,000-run mark in first-class cricket this season. Mehrab too has been among the runs, making 500-plus in the National Cricket League and is now second behind Ayub in the scorers' list in this tournament.

Apart from individual records, Central got what they needed from this game - enough points - to make it to the final. East Zone's first innings did not end as they made 396 for 8 on the final day with Faisal Hossain top-scoring with 92.

The final of the tournament will be held after the Bangladesh Premier League concludes on February 19.

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Rasool takes Lahore Ravi to innings win

Lahore Ravi 414 for 4 (Abid Ali 202*, Adnan Akmal 86) beat Quetta 236 (Abbas 117, Rasool 5-67) and 106 f/o (Khalil 5-44, Rasool 4-22) by an innings and 72 runs
Scorecard

Lahore Ravi got their first win of the season after Adnan Rasool took nine wickets in the match to inflict an innings defeat on Quetta at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Quetta were 213 for 7 in their first innings when they started the fourth day and needed another 51 to avoid follow-on. But their tail was wiped out for the next 23 runs and they had to bat again.

In the second innings, the duo of Rasool and Mohammad Khalil ran through their batting to dismiss them for 106. This win was set up by Lahore Ravi's batsmen, who scored 414 for 4 in the first innings after being put in to bat. Abid Ali was unbeaten with a double century, his highest first-class score which got them a huge first-innings lead.

Bahawalpur 216 (Rafiq 55, Jamal 6-80) and 296 (K Hussain 79, Jamal 5-96) drew with Abbottabad 337 (Hameed 103, Hussain 3-75) and 70 for 2
Scorecard

Abbottabad may not have chased their target of 176 on the last day, but their first-innings lead of 121 runs got them three points out of a drawn match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium. After Bahawalpur started the last day on 96 for 3, Abbottabad did well to restrict them to 296, but fell short of time to chase the target. Ahmed Jamal followed his first innings figures of 6 for 80 with 5 for 96 in the second innings.

When Bahawalpur were put in to bat on the first day, half-centuries from Moinuddin and Rehan Rafiq took them to a total of 216. Abbottabad, however, were led by captain Yasir Hameed, who scored 103, and ensured they got a first innings lead which leaves them at the fourth place in Group II.

Faisalabad 265 (Salman 76*, Cheema 5-64) and 47 for 0 drew with Lahore Shalimar 458 (U Akmal 107, Butt 92, Asad 4-117)
Scorecard

Lahore Shalimar scored 458 to take three points from a huge first-innings lead against Faisalabad in a drawn match played at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. Umar Akmal scored a century, supported by half-centuries from Imran Butt and Mohammad Zohaib which helped them take a lead.

When Faisalabad were put in to bat, Aizaz Cheema struck five times to keep them to 265 out of which Moazzam Hayat (47) and Mohammad Salman (76*)scored respectable scores. The three points take Shalimar's total tally to 12, taking them to second position in Group II.

Peshawar 194 (Fayyaz 75, Hussain 5-40) and 294 for 5 (Israrullah 127, Rizwan 89, Maqsood 4-62) drew with Multan 340 (Yasin 141, Nazir 105*, Sajjad 6-62)
Scorecard

A 214-run partnership between Israrullah and Mohammad Rizwan helped Peshawar draw the match with Multan at the Multan Cricket Stadium. After conceding a 146-run first-innings lead, Peshawar batted out the entire last day to secure a draw.

Earlier, Peshawar were dismissed for 194 after being asked to bat which put them on the backfoot. This was followed by hundreds from Naved Yasin and Ahsan Nazir which gave Multan a first-innings lead and eventually three points. Peshawar were under pressure when they came out to bat but their top order ensured they were not dismissed again.

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