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Australia's former test off-spinner Ashley Mallett has raised match-fixing concerns about South Africa's 1997-98 tour of Australia, questioning their tactics and performance in the second Test.
"I'm not saying the game was thrown," he said on Wednesday about the Test in Sydney which Australia won by an innings and 21 runs.
"But I'm saying there were concerns within the game," said Mallett, a bowling advisor on the tour to South Africa, who were led by the now-disgraced Hansie Cronje.
However, Australia's captain Steve Waugh said he was astounded by Mallett's claims, describing the match, his 100th test appearance, as a gruelling contest.
"If that was cricket that wasn't played at 100 percent, then I'm a real bad judge," Waugh said, adding that people raising such allegations should provide evidence or shut up.
"I know after that game I had sore ribs, a sore wrist and sore legs from the battering that Allan Donald gave me."
Waugh also rejected allegations by former Pakistan captain Salim Malik, reported in British newspaper News of the World last weekend, that Australia and Pakistan both took bribes to lose the same match in 1994.
"All I can say is that I'm as certain as I can be that no Australian has ever been involved in match-fixing or bribery," Waugh said. "I've said it before and I'll stick by it."
Mallett said he had alerted South African cricket authorities to his concerns after Cronje's admission last month that he had taken money from an Indian bookmaker in return for information about a limited-overs international series in South Africa earlier this year.
"I had concerns about certain little things that happened during the game and those concerns tended to get a bit bigger in my mind once the Hansie Cronje revelations (emerged)," he said.
"There was something not right about what was happening."
Mallett said he had been disturbed by the omission of all-rounder Lance Klusener and batsman Jonty Rhodes from South Africa's side for the Sydney Test, and by captain Hansie Cronje's ineffective field placings to off-spinner Pat Symcox.
"As a coach I was very annoyed that the game plan was not followed in terms of field placings," he said, noting that South Africa's batsmen had later collapsed "like a pack of cards".
Mallett defended his decision to raise his concerns, saying he believed former players had an obligation to report suspicions as corruption around cricket was threatening the game.
"This betting thing is bigger than all of us, it's something that could bring the game down, I believe," he said.
The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) said on Wednesday the allegations surrounding the South African tour of Australia were a matter for the South Africans.
A spokeswoman for South African cricket chief Ali Bacher said he would not be taking the matter further.
"I'm not saying the game was thrown," he said on Wednesday about the Test in Sydney which Australia won by an innings and 21 runs.
"But I'm saying there were concerns within the game," said Mallett, a bowling advisor on the tour to South Africa, who were led by the now-disgraced Hansie Cronje.
However, Australia's captain Steve Waugh said he was astounded by Mallett's claims, describing the match, his 100th test appearance, as a gruelling contest.
"If that was cricket that wasn't played at 100 percent, then I'm a real bad judge," Waugh said, adding that people raising such allegations should provide evidence or shut up.
"I know after that game I had sore ribs, a sore wrist and sore legs from the battering that Allan Donald gave me."
Waugh also rejected allegations by former Pakistan captain Salim Malik, reported in British newspaper News of the World last weekend, that Australia and Pakistan both took bribes to lose the same match in 1994.
"All I can say is that I'm as certain as I can be that no Australian has ever been involved in match-fixing or bribery," Waugh said. "I've said it before and I'll stick by it."
Mallett said he had alerted South African cricket authorities to his concerns after Cronje's admission last month that he had taken money from an Indian bookmaker in return for information about a limited-overs international series in South Africa earlier this year.
"I had concerns about certain little things that happened during the game and those concerns tended to get a bit bigger in my mind once the Hansie Cronje revelations (emerged)," he said.
"There was something not right about what was happening."
Mallett said he had been disturbed by the omission of all-rounder Lance Klusener and batsman Jonty Rhodes from South Africa's side for the Sydney Test, and by captain Hansie Cronje's ineffective field placings to off-spinner Pat Symcox.
"As a coach I was very annoyed that the game plan was not followed in terms of field placings," he said, noting that South Africa's batsmen had later collapsed "like a pack of cards".
Mallett defended his decision to raise his concerns, saying he believed former players had an obligation to report suspicions as corruption around cricket was threatening the game.
"This betting thing is bigger than all of us, it's something that could bring the game down, I believe," he said.
The Australian Cricket Board (ACB) said on Wednesday the allegations surrounding the South African tour of Australia were a matter for the South Africans.
A spokeswoman for South African cricket chief Ali Bacher said he would not be taking the matter further.