Hansie Cronje facts for kids
Hansie Cronje at Newlands Cricket Ground, 2000
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| Full name |
Wessel Johannes Cronje
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| Born | 25 September 1969 Bloemfontein, Orange Free State, Republic of South Africa |
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| Died | 1 June 2002 (aged 32) Cradock Peak, Outeniqua Mountains, Western Cape, Republic of South Africa |
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| Height | 1.93 m (6 ft 4 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Batting | Right-handed | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Bowling | Right-arm medium | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Role | All-rounder | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Relations | Ewie Cronje (father) Frans Cronje (brother) |
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| National side | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Test debut (cap 237) | 18 April 1992 v West Indies | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last Test | 2 March 2000 v India | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI debut (cap 15) | 26 February 1992 v Australia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Last ODI | 31 March 2000 v Pakistan | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| ODI shirt no. | 5 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Domestic team information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years | Team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1987–2000 | Free State | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1995 | Leicestershire | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 1997 | Ireland | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Source: ESPNCricInfo, 22 August 2007
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Wessel Johannes "Hansie" Cronje (born 25 September 1969 – died 1 June 2002) was a famous South African cricket player. He was also the captain of the South African national cricket team during the 1990s. Hansie was known as an all-rounder because he was good at both batting and bowling.
As captain, he led his team to many wins. They won 27 Test matches and 99 One Day Internationals. In 2004, he was voted the 11th greatest South African. Sadly, his cricket career ended when he was banned for life due to a problem with fair play in matches. He passed away in a plane crash in 2002.
Contents
Early Life and Sports Talent
Hansie Cronje was born in Bloemfontein, South Africa. His parents were Ewie Cronje and San-Marie Cronje. He was born on 25 September 1969.
He went to Grey College in Bloemfontein and finished in 1987. He was the head boy there. Hansie was a very talented sportsman. He played both cricket and rugby for his region when he was in school. He was even the captain of both his school's cricket and rugby teams.
Hansie also earned a degree in Commerce from the University of the Free State. He had an older brother, Frans Cronje, and a younger sister, Hester Parsons. His father, Ewie, had also played cricket for Orange Free State in the 1960s. His brother, Frans, also played first-class cricket.
Starting His Cricket Career
Hansie Cronje started his professional cricket career at 18 years old. He played his first first-class match for Orange Free State in January 1988. This was against Transvaal in Johannesburg.
In his second season, he played regularly in all eight Currie Cup matches. He also helped his team win the Benson and Hedges Series. He scored 73 runs as an opening batsman in the final game.
By the 1990–91 season, Hansie became the captain of Orange Free State. He was only 21 years old. He scored his first century (100 runs) for them in December 1990. He ended that season with 715 runs. In 1992–93, he led Orange Free State to win both the Castle Cup and Total Power Series.
In 1995, Hansie played for Leicestershire in England. He scored 1301 runs and was their top scorer. In 1997, he played for Ireland. He helped them win against Middlesex by scoring 94 runs and taking three wickets. This was Ireland's first win against an English county team.
Playing for South Africa
First International Matches
Hansie's great performance in 1991/92 led him to join the South African team. He was called up for the 1992 World Cup. He played his first One Day International (ODI) match against Australia in Sydney. He played in eight of the team's nine games during the tournament.
After the World Cup, Hansie went on a tour to the West Indies. He played in three ODIs and then made his Test debut. This Test match was South Africa's first since they were allowed to play international cricket again. South Africa almost beat the strong West Indies team.
In 1992/93, India toured South Africa. In one ODI, Hansie hit a famous six when his team needed 6 runs from only 4 balls. He was named Man of the Match for his bowling. In the Test series, he scored his first Test century, 135 runs. This helped South Africa win their first Test match since rejoining international cricket.
Becoming Captain
In 1993–94, Hansie was named vice-captain for the tour of Australia. He was the youngest player in the squad. He helped South Africa win against Australia in an ODI with 91 runs, earning him Man of the Match.
When captain Kepler Wessels got injured, Hansie took over as captain for the final day of a Test match. He became South Africa's second youngest Test captain ever. He led the team for the third Test in Adelaide.
In February 1994, Australia visited South Africa. Hansie started the ODI series with high scores. He also scored 251 runs in a match against Australia for his Orange Free State team. This was an amazing 14-day period where he scored 721 runs against Australia.
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Hansie was officially named the permanent captain for the Test series against New Zealand in 1994–95. South Africa lost the first Test. But then they won the Mandela Trophy tournament, which changed their luck. South Africa then won the next two Test matches in Durban and Cape Town. Hansie scored his fourth Test century in Cape Town. He was the first captain since W. G. Grace to win a three-match series after being one match down.
In 1995, South Africa won one-off Tests against Pakistan and New Zealand. In October 1995, South Africa won a Test against Zimbabwe. Hansie scored 54 runs to help them win. South Africa also won the five-Test series against England 1–0.
At the 1996 World Cup, Hansie scored 78 and 45 runs in two matches. South Africa won their group. However, they lost in the Quarter-final to West Indies.
In 1997–98, Hansie led South Africa to their first series victory in Pakistan. His batting was not at its best, but he helped by taking wickets.
Later Career Highlights
Hansie played against Australia again in a triangular ODI series. South Africa won the group stage. In one match, Hansie threatened to lead his team off the field because a player, Pat Symcox, had things thrown at him.
In a Test match against Australia, Hansie scored 70 runs to help save the match. In another Test, he batted for a long time, scoring 88 runs. In the third Test, South Africa almost won, but Australia managed to save the match. After this game, Hansie was very frustrated and accidentally damaged the umpires' dressing room door. He was lucky not to be banned.
Hansie missed the first Test against Pakistan due to a knee injury. In the second Test, he scored 85 runs to help his team win and tie the series. In a series against Sri Lanka, he took 3 wickets for 14 runs, which was his best bowling in Tests. He also scored a very fast 82 runs off just 63 balls. His fifty came off only 31 balls, which was one of the fastest in Test history at the time.
In the 1998 Test series against England, Hansie scored five half-centuries (50 runs or more) in a row. In his 50th Test match, he scored 126 runs, which was his sixth and final Test century. During this series, he also passed 3,000 runs in Test cricket, becoming only the second South African to do so.
Unique Moments as Captain
In 1998–99, Hansie led South Africa to a "whitewash" (winning all matches) in a five-Test series against the West Indies. This was the only time South Africa achieved this. In the ODI series, he was South Africa's top scorer and took 11 wickets.
At the 1999 World Cup, South Africa was knocked out after a famous tied semi-final match against Australia. In the first match of the tournament against India, Hansie wore an earpiece to talk to his coach, Bob Woolmer. However, the match referee told him to remove it during the first break.
In October 1999, Hansie became South Africa's highest Test run scorer. This was during a match against Zimbabwe. South Africa won that series 2–0. They also won the series against England in the fourth Test, which was Hansie's 50th match as captain.
The fifth Test of the 1999–2000 series between South Africa and England was affected by rain. On the final day, with little time left, the captains decided to "make a game of it." They agreed on a target for England to chase. Both teams then gave up an innings (called a forfeit) to create an exciting finish. England won the match with two wickets left and only five balls remaining. This ended South Africa's 14-game unbeaten streak in Test cricket.
Hansie's cricket career ended on 31 March 2000. He played his last match against Pakistan in the final of the Sharjah Cup.
Hansie's Cricket Records
As captain, Hansie Cronje led South Africa to win 27 Test matches and lose 11. They won series against almost every team, except Australia.
He captained the One Day International team in 138 matches. They won 99 of these games, with one tied match and three matches with no result. He holds the South African record for the most matches won as captain. Only Graeme Smith has captained more ODI matches for South Africa. His 99 wins make him the fourth most successful captain worldwide in terms of matches won.
Between September 1993 and March 2000, Hansie played in 162 ODI matches in a row. This is a South African record. He also holds the record for playing the most consecutive ODI matches as captain (130). He is the only player to captain in over 100 consecutive ODI matches.
Issues with Fair Play
On 7 April 2000, it was discovered that Hansie Cronje had been involved in discussions about not playing fairly in matches. This was with a person connected to a betting group. Three other players were also mentioned. After an investigation, Hansie was banned from playing or being involved in cricket for the rest of his life. He tried to challenge this ban, but it was upheld in October 2001.
Hansie's Passing
On 1 June 2002, Hansie Cronje's flight home was cancelled. He then got a ride on a small plane as the only passenger. Near George airport, the pilots lost sight in the clouds and could not land. The plane crashed into the Outeniqua Mountains. Hansie, who was 32 years old, and the two pilots all died instantly.
In 2006, an investigation into the plane crash found that the pilots' actions or mistakes caused the accident. After his death, some people wondered if Hansie's death was more than an accident. They thought it might be connected to the issues with fair play in cricket.
Personal Life and Legacy
Hansie Cronje married Bertha Hans on 8 April 1995. They did not have any children. Bertha later married Jacques Du Plessis in 2003. Hansie's family and close friends attended the private ceremony.
In 2008, a movie about Hansie's life was released. It was called Hansie: A True Story. The actor Frank Rautenbach played Hansie Cronje in the film.
See also
- Declaration and forfeiture – Cronje was the only captain to ever forfeit an innings during a Test match
- List of South Africans – voted 11 in the SABC3's Great South Africans
- List of people who died in aviation-related incidents
- List of cricketers banned for match fixing
- Hansie – biographical film about Cronje after his life-ban
