Sport’s Strangest Crimes podcast from BBC 5 Live returns with the scandal that changed cricket forever
Sport’s Strangest Crimes: Hansie Cronje - Fall from Grace is the latest gripping six-part podcast from BBC Radio 5 Live, delving into one of the biggest sporting scandals of the modern era.Hosted by former England cricketer Mark Butcher, this series retraces the rise and fall of Hansie Cronje - from his glory days on the pitch to the secret deals, damning confessions, and an untimely death that left more questions than answers.The series begins with the now-infamous Centurion Test match - a rain-ruined draw suddenly brought back to life by a puzzling decision from Cronje. What looked like bold sportsmanship was later exposed as something far more sinister when a wiretap in India revealed damning evidence of match-fixing.Mark guides listeners through the story’s many twists: offshore accounts, secret phone calls, shady bookmakers, and a shocking televised inquiry. As the pressure mounts for a deeper investigation, Cronje is killed in a mysterious plane crash, officially blamed on pilot error, but still debated to this day.With testimony from former teammates, journalists, investigators, and those closest to the case, Mark uncovers a dark world of manipulation, power and money - and the real cost of betrayal in sport.Speaking about the podcast, Mark, 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?”The series revisits a scandal that rocked international cricket and left an indelible mark on the game. Over two decades later, the echoes of Cronje’s downfall still resonate.The entire series of Sport’s Strangest Crimes: Hansie Cronje - Fall From Grace will be available on BBC Sounds from Wednesday 30 July 2025AG / MCLFollow for more
Latest Articles
