Sport’s Strangest Crimes returns with a new series investigating the downfall of Hansie Cronje, the South African cricket captain whose betrayal rocked international sport.
From BBC Radio 5 Live, Sport’s Strangest Crimes: Hansie Cronje – Fall from Grace is hosted by former England cricketer Mark Butcher, who played against Cronje. The series retraces his rise and devastating fall – from national hero to disgraced match-fixer and his untimely death in a mysterious plane crash.
Hansie Cronje was idolised across South Africa and trusted by Nelson Mandela himself. But behind the clean-cut image lay secret phone calls, offshore accounts, and corrupt deals with bookmakers.
The series opens with the now-infamous Centurion Test match. A rain-ruined draw was revived by Cronje’s puzzling declaration, a move that looked like bold sportsmanship until Indian police wiretaps exposed the truth: match-fixing at the highest level.
Mark Butcher said: “I played in that Centurion Test, and none of us knew what was really going on. Hansie’s story is both tragic and infuriating, and there’s still a lot we don’t understand.
“This series is about going back and asking the difficult questions. Who was the real Hansie Cronje? And how deep did this all go?”
Former teammates, journalists, investigators, and people closest to the case feature, revealing a dark world of manipulation, power, and betrayal that left an indelible mark on cricket.
The podcast also examines Cronje’s televised confession, the shocking televised inquiry in South Africa, and his fatal plane crash, officially blamed on pilot error but still debated today.
Over two decades later, his story continues to haunt the sport, raising questions about corruption’s true cost.
The six-episode series, Sport’s Strangest Crimes: Hansie Cronje – Fall from Grace will be available in full on BBC Sounds from Wednesday 30 July.
