Petersen gets two-year fixing ban

Former South Africa batsman Alviro Petersen has been banned from cricket for two years after admitting sitting in on meetings where plans were hatched to fix matches in the country's domestic Twenty20 competition.

Petersen had earlier denied the charges levelled by Cricket South Africa (CSA) but has now confessed to his involvement, prompting the ban.

He becomes the latest player to be banned in the long-running scandal relating to South Africa's 2015 domestic T20 tournament.

Former Protea Gulam Bodi had already been given a 20-year ban after he admitted charges of contriving or attempting to fix matches. Bodi acted as an intermediary for international betting syndicates, approaching players in an attempt to lure them into fixing activities during the competition.

Other players banned include Thami Tsolekile (12 years), Pumelela Matshikwe (10 years), Ethy Mbhalati (10 years) and Jean Symes (seven years).

Petersen, 36, has admitted to numerous charges, including multiple counts of failing to disclose details of an approach to fix matches, not co-operate with investigators, and concealing and destroying information relevant to the probe.

CSA, however, did acknowledge that Petersen had not tried to fix a match, or received any payment to do so.

"At the time that the meetings with Bodi and the fixers happened, I never had any intention of fixing matches or taking money," Petersen said in a statement.

"I now deeply regret having participated in these meetings and not to have immediately reported them to the authorities as I am obliged to do.

"I understand that I need to take personal responsibility for my actions and I accept the punishment that CSA has imposed on me.  I hope that other players will learn from my experience and be better prepared if they find themselves in the situation that I was in, and that my punishment will serve as a deterrent."

Petersen cannot be involved in any international or domestic match sanctioned by CSA or the International Cricket Council until November 12, 2018.

CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the investigation into the scandal remained ongoing.

"Our aim to deal thoroughly with any form of corruption in the game remains steadfast and we will do everything in our power to protect the integrity of the game," Lorgat said in a statement.

"Alviro has realised his mistakes and has acknowledged contravening the (Anti-Corruption) Code. He is obliged under the Code to have disclosed various approaches that were made to him to engage in corrupt activities.

"While having provided certain information to the investigators he had also withheld and concealed certain material information, such as the meetings with Bodi and certain fixers. This was directly relevant to the investigation and hence why we have imposed a two-year ban which Alviro accepts."

Petersen, who played 36 Tests between 2010 and 2015, had earlier claimed that he had uncovered the conspiracy to fix games in the 2015-16 domestic Twenty20 season.

He played his last Test match against the West Indies at Newlands in January 2015. He also played 21 one-day internationals and two T20 matches for South Africa.

Petersen made a century on debut against India in 2010 and finished with five centuries and eight half-centuries at an average of 34.88. He made more than 2000 Test runs, with a career-best 182 against England in 2012.

He had spent the past two seasons playing for English County Lancashire, and his last first-class match was against Middlesex in September. He missed Lancashire's final game of the county season to return to South Africa when his wife had experienced complications with the birth of the couple's second child.