South Africa’s Gulam Bodi under investigation for alleged match-fixing

Former South Africa spin-bowling all-rounder Gulam Bodi is under investigation for suspected match-fixing in the Ram Slam Twenty20 Challenge last year. Bodi, who won three limited-overs caps for South Africa in 2007, has been named by the Afrikaans news outlet Netwerk24 as the individual charged by Cricket South Africa in December with “contriving to fix, or otherwise improperly influence aspects” of matches in the tournament.

The 37-year-old, who was born in India but emigrated to South Africa as a teenager, did not feature in the tournament as a player, having last turned out in domestic cricket for the Highveld Lions in January 2015. Bodi has played two One-Day Internationals and one Twenty20 International for the Proteas.

CSA confirmed that Bodi was the intermediary charged under its anti-corruption code. In a statement, it said: “Bodi has been charged with contriving to fix, or otherwise improperly influence aspects of the 2015 Ram Slam T20 Challenge Series. Following our investigations and due process, we have reached a point where we can confirm that Mr Bodi is the intermediary who was charged by CSA in early December 2015 under the CSA anti-corruption code. Mr Bodi is presently co-operating with the CSA anti-corruption officials. We now await his response to the charges and the matter will take its course in accordance with the process outlined in the Code.”

Pending receipt of his response, Bodi has been provisionally suspended under article 4.7.1 of the code. The provisional suspension means that Bodi may not be involved in any capacity in any match or any other kind of function, event or activity (other than authorised anti-corruption education or rehabilitation programmes) that is authorised, organised, sanctioned, recognised or supported in any way by CSA, the ICC, a National Cricket Federation or any member of a National Cricket Federation.

Bodi may have to serve a jail sentence if the matter goes to court, with match-fixing illegal in South Africa since the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Act Law was passed in 2004. The law was introduced four years after Hansie Cronje, the former captain, admitted his involvement in manipulating the outcome of certain cricket games and was slapped with a life ban from the sport.