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Gibbs and Boucher
dropped for the Indian Tour |
Oct 27th, 2004:
Gibbs and veteran wicket-keeper Mark Boucher,
who is currently off form, were left out of
South Africa's 14-man squad for the two-Test
tour of India.
The right-handed Gibbs, who has scored 4697 Test
runs for South Africa, on Sunday told cricket
officials he would not be available for the trip
to India, where police were probing his alleged
involvement in a match fixing scandal which hit
headlines in 2000. Implicated in the same scam
was former skipper Hansie Cronje, who admitted
involvement in the scam and was served with a
life ban before tragically dying in a plane
crash in southern South Africa in 2002.
Gibbs as well as spinner Nicky Boje have
answered questionnaires put to them by the New
Delhi police and were said to fear arrest if
they should put foot on the subcontinent. Gibbs
was slapped with a six-month ban from
international cricket while Cronje got a life
ban from the sport after tearfully admitting
before a commission headed by South African
judge Edwin King that he took money from
bookmakers and paid some players, including
Gibbs, to underperform. Boje, who has also
answered questions from the Indian police, had
earlier said he was very keen to go India and
now replaces Boucher as vice-captain.
Long-time wicket keeper Mark Boucher, who has
been out of form lately has been feeling the
heat from junior keepers, waiting in the wings
to take his place. "He (Boucher) must be aware
that smoke is starting to come up, and he'd
better wake up and turn on the heat," newly
appointed coach Ray Jennings said recently of
Boucher's lack of form.
South African Squad: Graeme Smith (capt),
Nicky Boje (vice), Hashim Amla, Zander de Bruyn,
Boeta Dippenaar, Andrew Hall, Jacques Kallis,
Makhaya Ntini, Justin Ontong, Shaun Pollock,
Jacques Rudolph, Thami Tsolekile, Alfonso
Thomas, Martin van Jaarsveld.
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