From leader to leper: the fall of Hansie

He was the epitome of the all-South African sports hero.

The Bloemfontein-born Afrikaner with the rugged looks took over the leadership of the national team in 1994 and, embracing the ideals of the new democracy, moulded the side into one of the best in the world.

It was for that reason that the country - and the world - reacted with stunned disbelief to the news that Hansie Cronje admitted to taking money during the recent triangular limited-overs series in South Africa, a revelation that resulted in his being fired as captain of the national team.

The majority of South Africans were devastated by the news, refusing to accept that the man with such a lofty reputation could be guilty of any wrongdoing.

Some of the readers who called The Star for confirmation were reduced to tears, and one Cronje supporter asked: "It's not April Fool's Day, is it?"

Cronje was always regarded as being squeaky-clean, and as a born-again Christian - the result of an accident in which he killed a pedestrian while driving home from a cricket match in 1990 - he was believed to be above anything illegal.

His credentials as captain of the South African team were impeccable.

Not only did he have that rare gift of being able to get the best out of his players, usually by leading them from the front, but he was also a diplomat without peer and won over the hearts of the world's cricket media with his easy-going demeanour and forthright honesty in media conferences.

He was prone to temper tantrums, however, and once pegged a cricket stump into the door of an umpires' dressingroom in Australia after being unhappy about decisions that went against his side.

On another occasion, Cronje threatened to quit the captaincy of the national side over unhappiness with the selection policy.

There were also other displays of petulance in press conferences, but these were dismissed as a natural reaction to defeat from an intensely proud man who hated being beaten.

In general, Cronje was regarded as an upstanding character who was totally committed to South African cricket.

That commitment was questioned when he negotiated a lucrative coaching contract with Glamorgan in a deal that would have clashed with his agreement with the United Cricket Board of SA.

After discussions with United Cricket Board (UCB) managing director Ali Bacher, Cronje decided against joining Glamorgan, but the signs were there that he was giving serious consideration to his future outside the national team.

Many followers also recently raised concerns about his form, and Cronje more than once hinted at possible retirement, but he was always persuaded to stay on once it became patently apparent that there was simply no obvious successor.

The initial reaction from Bacher to Cronje's admittance of dishonesty was, certainly, the most appropriate pointer to the character of the former national captain.

"I was stunned. Absolutely stunned," Bacher said.

As are all of us.