Boje is innocent, says Bacher by CricketArchive staff reporter

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Player:

RS Kaluwitharana

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DateLine: 30th May 2006

 

Former chief executive of the South African cricket board Ali Bacher firmly believes left arm spinner Nicky Boje is innocent. Bacher, the man behind the successful conduct of the 2003 World Cup in South Africa, added the scandal that blighted cricket's good name six years ago, was the biggest crisis to have affected it in its long history and he was happy the game had come out of it.

 

Bacher, in India as consultant for South Africa-based electronics display firm Stellavista, is negotiating with Indian centres organizing the matches in the ICC Champions Trophy to sell giant TV display screens and giant scoreboards. The former SA skipper also noted that having a player representative system in cricket administration would be of great help.

 

On batsman Herschelle Gibbs, who served out a one-year ban for match-fixing related activities, and Boje, Bacher said the latter had no part in the scandal. “Nicky Boje was innocent. I know that for a fact. When it (the scandal) broke, Gibbs' body language was not good. Boje was fine. I can read people. He was innocent," said Bacher while talking to an Indian news agency.