Alviro Petersen, the former South Africa batsman who has played for Lancashire in the last two years, has been charged with match fixing by his country’s governing body as part of an investigation into corruption that has already seen five individuals banned.
The 35-year-old has 14 days in which to respond to the charges, which include trying to fix, “or otherwise improperly influence” at least one match South Africa’s Ram Slam Twenty20 competition last season, as well as failure to report illicit approaches and tampering with evidence. He has also been provisionally suspended from playing.
Thami Tsolekile, the former Test wicketkeeper, and domestic players Jean Symes, Pumelela Matshikwe and Ethy Mbhalati were banned for between seven and 12 years by Cricket South Africa in August, following on from the 20-year ban handed down to Gulam Bodi, a former all-rounder with three limited overs caps, at the start of the year.
Petersen, who plays for the Highveld Lions in South Africa, claimed in March that he had reported an approach to the authorities but said he was not under investigation and was quoted by the Times Media Group describing himself as the “whistleblower” in the situation.
In a statement issued by his lawyers, this explanation was reiterated, adding: “Alviro welcomes the charges because he is confident that the tribunal will deal with the matter fairly and appropriately and that justice will prevail. The tribunal proceedings will end speculation and allow all the facts regarding the match fixing scandal to come into the public domain.”
On Saturday, Cricket South Africa issued nine charges against the batsman, with the official release listing the following contraventions of its anti-corruption code:
“Contriving to fix or otherwise improperly influence, or being party to a scheme in which attempts would be made to fix or otherwise improperly influence, a match or matches in the 2015 Ram Slam T20 Challenge Series;
“Seeking to accept, accepting or agreeing to accept a bribe or reward to fix or contrive to fix or influence improperly a match or matches in the 2015 Ram Slam T20 Challenge Series;
“Failing to disclose to the designated anti-corruption official (without unnecessary delay) full details of any approaches or invitations to engage in corrupt conduct under the code;
“Failure to disclose to the designated anti-corruption official (without unnecessary delay) full details of any incident or fact that may evidence corrupt conduct under the code by another participant;
“Nine counts of failing to disclose (without unnecessary delay) accurate and complete information and/or documentation to the designated anti-corruption official;
“Obstructing or delaying the investigation by concealing, tampering with or destroying information or documentation relevant to the investigation.”
Petersen left Lancashire at the end of the 2016 county season with one match remaining for undisclosed personal reasons but this week tweeted that he was back in training with the Highveld Lions after missing the start of their domestic campaign.
The 35-year-old right-hander won 36 Test caps for South Africa between 2010 and 2015, scoring 2,093 runs, and made 23 limited appearances for his country. He has previously had spells playing for Glamorgan and Somerset in county cricket.
