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Cronje hasn't lost it all

Former South African cricket captain Hansie Cronje has lost his job, product endorsements and the respect of millions world-wide but he is still in demand in some circles.

Cronje's fall from grace sees him lose millions of rands in product endorsements, his monthly salary of 28,725 rands from the United Cricket Board of South Africa and Test match fees of 13,000 rands, excluding win bonuses.

But the unanswered questions behind the blonde Afrikaner's misdeeds has sent people scurrying to find out from a sports events business, 'Right on the Night', whether Cronje will still be the main speaker at a benefit banquet dinner dance organised for former international cricketer Errol Stewart next month. Well-heeled cricket supporters are prepared to fork out 375 rands for a ticket to the black tie affair at a conference centre on Durban's beach-front.

Stewart, a former provincial rugby player and currently a top order wicket-keeper batsman for the KwaZulu-Natal Dolphins, was offered a benefit year by the Natal Cricket Union for 10 years' service. Long before the match-fixing scandal broke Stewart asked Cronje to be the main speaker for his benefit night. After Cronje agreed to offer his services free of charge (sports stars usually command fees of 10,000 per public speaking engagement) Stewart duly sent out invitations.

But with Cronje now shunning the limelight and set to be interrogated by a judicial commission of inquiry into cricket match-fixing, the event organisers and Stewart believe it is unlikely he will be in a position to be the main speaker.

Said the owner of 'Right on the Night', Annie Batchelder: "It's thrown a huge spanner in the works for us. People have been calling in and they say that we should still have Hansie. But it seems unlikely and we are now trying to put together a panel discussion to discuss the match-fixing issue."

While Stewart believed that it was "unlikely" to get Cronje he was "absolutely keen to have him".

"It's unlikely at this stage but we'll wait and see. I spoke to his brother Frans and he said that Hansie is really down. "Otherwise I'm hoping to have a panel discussion with guys like Lance Klusener, James Small (former SA international rugby player), and either Mark Andrews (SA international rugby player) or Ian MacIntosh (former rugby coach)," said Stewart. And while Swiss watchmaker Tag Heur are the latest to follow brand names Adidas and Spur Steak Ranches, a restaurant chain, in cancelling endorsement deals with Cronje, the event organisers confirmed that none of the sponsors to Stewart's benefit evening have withdrawn their support.