Sport's Strangest Crimes podcast from BBC 5 Live returns with the scandal that changed cricket forever
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 2025
Listen to Sport's Strangest Crimes on BBC Sounds
AG / MCL
Follow for more
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
10 hours ago
- BBC News
🎧 All eyes on Europa
BBC Radio Nottingham's Forest commentator Colin Fray previews the season and assesses the club's transfer activity, stressing the importance of squad depth following confirmation that Forest will compete in the Europa League."Forest have started this summer wanting to be a lot stronger in depth than last season, needing to be a lot stronger in depth than last season, but at the moment they are not," says Fray. Fray also speaks to Forest's new winger, Dan Ndoye, and you can listen to the whole chat on Shut Up And Show More Football. Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds
Daily Mail
13 hours ago
- Daily Mail
Leonardo DiCaprio reveals 'biggest regret' from his career in honest admission
Leonardo DiCaprio has revealed the 'biggest regret' he has from his career in an honest admission. The Academy Award winner, 50, has starred in some of Hollywood's biggest hits, from Titanic to The Wolf Of Wall Street - but there's one job he regrets turning down. Speaking to Variety, Leo revealed that the movie he had to back out of was Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights. Leo had to pass on starring in the 1997 film because he was already signed on to play Jack Dawson in Titanic. Instead, Mark Wahlberg took on the role of Eddie Adams in Boogie Nights - which was nominated for three Oscars and deemed one of the best films of all time by Variety. Meanwhile Titanic was nominated for 14 Academy Awards and won 11. Leo said: 'I'll say it even though you're here: My biggest regret is not doing Boogie Nights, it was a profound movie of my generation. 'I can't imagine anyone but Mark in it. When I finally got to see that movie, I just thought it was a masterpiece.' The actor told GQ in 2008 that he wished he could have done both films but was forced to choose. It comes after Leo hinted he has finally settled down with his model girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti in a new interview, after making some changes in his life since entering his fifties. The star, known for his lothario lifestyle, has always hit headlines with his relationships with model women all under the age of 25. Ever since he burst onto the big screen in the early 1990s, Leonardo has dated a never-ending conveyor belt of glamorous models and actresses, including Gigi Hadid, Gisele Bündchen and Bar Refaeli. Vittoria has seemingly broke Leo's rule of strictly dating women under the age of 25, as the pair's relationship continues to blossom. In a rare new interview with Esquire UK, Leonardo declared he is living by the new rules of always being 'honest' and more 'upfront' because he has 'no time to waste' at his age - which has been inspired by his beloved mother Irmelin Indenbirken, 82. Leo reflected on how there is 'much more life behind him now' than there is ahead of him as he discussed is expectations for the coming decades. Speaking in the unfiltered interview, Leo said: 'Turning 50 creates a feeling like you have a desire to just be more honest and not waste your time. 'I can only imagine how the next few decades are going to progress. 'I look at my mother, for example, and she just says exactly what she thinks and wastes no time. She spends no time trying to fake it.' Before Vittoria, he famously split from Camila Morrone after five years together in 2022, just a month after she turned 25. Detailing the importance of saying exactly how you feel, he explained: 'Being more upfront and risking having things fall apart or risking the disagreements or risking going your separate ways from any type of relationship in life. 'The personal, the professional — it's that you don't want to waste your time any more. 'You have to just be much more upfront. It's almost a responsibility, because much more of your life is behind you than it is ahead of you.' Leo famously dated model Gisele for five years starting when she was 18, to a five-year romance with Bar Refaeli that ended when she turned 25. The Hollywood star had also been linked to model Gigi after they fuelled romance speculation in September 2022. He was first linked to the model just weeks after his split from then-girlfriend Camila Morrone. But rumours were quickly squashed in February 2023, as a source told 'Leo is very single right now and he is not keen on the hype suggesting that he is seeking out these very young women.'
BBC News
13 hours ago
- BBC News
CCTV appeal in Coventry after woman hurt in e-scooter crash
Detectives are looking to speak to a man after a woman was knocked unconscious when she was hit by an electric scooter in Midlands Police have released a CCTV image of him and say they want to speak to the man in connection with the crash on Holbrooks Road at about 18:30 BST on 16 July. The woman was knocked to the ground and lost consciousness before she was taken to hospital, the force said. The scooter rider rode off after the crash. Follow BBC Coventry & Warwickshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.
