 |  We worked with the Indian police for six months, but things did not work out satisfactorily for Gibbs and [Nicky] Boje to tour India |
Herschelle Gibbs will never tour India while police continue investigating match-fixing allegations against him. The South African batsman withdrew from the current tour of India after refusing to answer questions from detectives based in New Delhi.
Gerald Majola, chief executive of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, said: "We'd always like full strength teams to represent South Africa.
"But we cannot expose our players to legal tangles."
Cricket's notorious match-fixing scandal erupted in 2000.
The New Delhi police produced taped conversations between the disgraced former South African captain Hansie Cronje with an illegal bookmaker.
Those tapes featured the names of current players Gibbs and Nicky Boje.
Boje was appointed vice-captain for the ongoing tour, but he also pulled out as local cricket officials could not secure a written guarantee from the Indian police that he would not be interrogated in connection with match-fixing case.
Majola said Boje was also unlikely to make future tours unless he gets a guarantee he will not be interrogated by Indian police.
South Africa could tour India twice over the next two years.
The two national cricket boards are trying to find dates to accommodate a five-match limited-overs series next year, and India is set to host the biennial limited-overs Champions Trophy.
Former captain Cronje had confessed to have been involved with illegal bookmakers and was banned for life from the game. He later died in an plane crash.
Boje has always denied any involvement in the sordid affair, but Gibbs acknowledged accepting US$15,000 (�11,180) to score fewer than 20 runs against India in a limited-overs international in 2000.
He subsequently scored 74, suggesting he had "forgotten" about his deal. He was suspended for six months from cricket and was fined.
MMIX
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 
