'Former Proteas captain Cronje was perfectly suited for television'

Johannesburg, Jun 2(ANI): Former South Africa captain Hansie Cronje would have gone on to become a successful television personality had he not died ten years back in a plane crash and got collared for corruption , according to sports journalist Rob Houwing.

Houwing, who knew Cronje during his playing days, says the disgraced captain was a confident man capable enough to crack witty jokes, and was also greatly attracted to wealthy moguls.

"I have little doubt he would have been greatly suited to television, a path so often chosen by prominent cricketers seeking new bread and butter ... but perhaps not after continuing to play at the top level for at least another four years or so," Houwing wrote in his column for Sports24.

"He ( Cronje) was broadly interested in media; he was often surprisingly keen to discuss it whenever we sat down for interviews, although its wealthy barons and bosses especially fascinated him, perhaps an early signal of his mounting obsession with money?" he added.

"Apart from what would have been an obvious wealth of experience, Hansie's confident air as an individual (increasingly so, with the glare of the spotlight) and not inconsiderable ability to issue or respond to a wise crack, would have made him a comfortable and bilingual TV fit, I fancy, whether in commentary or studio mode," he said. (ANI)