Gibbs and Co wait on their fate

Herschelle Gibbs, together with South African team-mates Pieter Strydom and Henry Williams, may know their fate as far as international cricket is concerned within two weeks.

At the King commission of inquiry into match-fixing in Cape Town in June, Gibbs and Williams both admitted to conspiring with disgraced former South African captain Hansie Cronje to throw a one-day international. As it transpired, neither went through with the arrangement. Gibbs "forgot" about the deal when he arrived at the crease, while Williams was injured bowling his first over in the match.

As a result of these admissions, however, Gibbs was withdrawn from the South African squad currently in Sri Lanka. Williams and Strydom, who phoned a bookmaker at Cronje's behest, but was unable to place a bet, have also fond themselves in a cricketing limbo.

Justice Edwin King is due to deliver his interim report into match-fixing on August 11. He is not bound to offer recommendations at this stage of his inquiry, but it is now believed that he may deal with these three players.

As a result, the United Cricket Board has set up a three-man disciplinary committee consisting of Judge Mervyn King, Michael Kuper SC and a lawyer from the Association of Law Society Attorneys.

This committee will require the affected players to attend a hearing, and present recommendations as to any action to be taken against them to the UCB general council.

Of the three, Strydom would appear to be the least culpable. He admitted making a phone call to a bookmaker, only to be told that all bets were off in the Centurion Park Test match against England. He also refused an offer from Cronje to throw a Test match in India.

Gibbs and Williams could be in deeper trouble. Both, and particularly Gibbs, lied on several occasions about their involvement, and in the current climate both might have to serve some kind of ban before again becoming available for selection for the South African team.