JOHANNESBURG, June 2: South African cricket stars attended a memorial charity auction in George at the weekend to mark the first anniversary of the death of former national captain Hansie Cronje.

Cronje, who was banned from cricket for life in 2000 for accepting money from Indian bookmakers and paying players to underperform, died on June 1 when a plane he was travelling in smashed into a mountain outside George, a town in Western cape province.

A cricket bat used by Cronje in South Africa’s 1998-99 Test series against the West Indies and in the 1999 World Cup against England fetched 32,000 rand (US$3,900) at the auction.

“It was the bat that cracked a piece off when Cronje faced up to Pakistani pace bowler Shoaib Akhtar during the World Cup,” the Johannesburg-based Star reported.

Players at the memorial included batsmen Gary Kirsten and Herschelle Gibbs and wicket-keeper Mark Boucher.—AFP