South Africa did not want to believe that their golden boy had fallen so low. It was an almighty shock to learn that he had been passing information to bookmakers and asking teammates to under-perform. The ensuing ‘trial’ in front of a commission, under which he was guaranteed immunity from criminal prosecution, left Cronje a broken man. Garth King’s book is already a bestseller in South Africa, and it is easy to see why. This is a terrific read, one which — with the access he had to the Cronje family — goes some way towards explaining why this fall from grace happened.
King’s pen provides a vivid outline to Cronje’s upbringing, his devotion to his family and his religion, and to the influences that helped make him one of his country’s greatest sportsmen. Cronje never lost his common touch. He had time for the man in the street, to talk, chew the fat, sign autographs and have a laugh, wherever in the world that street was.
Born in 1969 in Bloemfontein, Cronje had a privileged childhood, living in a house with a swimming pool and being educated at the renowned Grey College. Cricket was in his blood; his father captained Orange Free State in 1966-67 when they played the Australians and held them to a memorable draw. A born leader, Hansie followed quickly in his father’s footsteps, making his debut for Free State when he was 18. By the age of 23 he was vice-captain of the national team. Two years later he was skipper. Over the next six years he would take South Africa to a much higher level of success than they had been accustomed to for most of their Test history. During his international career he scored 3,714 runs at an average of 36.4 and his team won 27 and lost only 11 of his 53 Tests in charge.
That record and his image as Mr Perfect made his fall from grace all the harder for his nation to understand and accept. But in taking the money and then denying it, he lied not only to the public that adored him, but also to his wife and his family. Exiled from the game, he spent much time on the golf course before trying his hand as a salesman.
Exiled he may have been, but forgotten, unloved and unforgiven? Hardly. Almost 25m people tuned in to watch his televised funeral in 2002 after he died in an air crash. This is a fascinating, well-written morality tale for our times