Gibbs, Boje out of India tour

Durban: Apparently apprehending arrests in connection with a match-fixing scandal, South African batsman Herschelle Gibbs and spinner Nicky Boje were excluded from the team that will tour India for a one-day international series in November. The names of Gibbs and Boje cropped up in connection with the match-fixing scandal that had haunted the South Africans and late South African captain Hansie Cronje during the Proteas' tour of India in 2000. The United Cricket Board of South Africa said in a statement that Gibbs and Boje had been excluded from the team because the Indian police had not clarified its intention regarding the two players. The Delhi Police had indicated last year that they had not dropped their investigations and could not give any guarantee that Gibbs and Boje would not be interrogated in connection with the match-fixing case. The United Cricket Board said the clarity about the status of the players had been sought by the Board, the South African Cricketers Association and the two players' legal advisors. "The attempts have included an approach through diplomatic channels as well as a meeting between the Delhi police and Delhi-based lawyers appointed to represent the players," said Tony Irish, secretary of the South African Players' Association. (PTI)