His excuse is one magistrates hear every day ... I did it because I was strapped for cash. For this, Cricket SA took pity on him.Disgraced Protea cricketer Gulam Bodi, who for his entire cricketing career would have heard over and over the sport's anti-corruption match-fixing message, was yesterday given a 20-year ban from playing, officiating or participating in international or domestic cricket. Five years of his sentence has been suspended. It is the first time since former SA cricket captain Hansie Cronje was banned from the sport for life in 2000 - after admitting to taking money from figures in the gambling underworld - that Cricket SA has banned a player.Bodi, who made his first-class debut in the 1996-1997 season for the Lions, played his last first-class match in January last year, in which he scored one run.He pleaded guilty to contriving to fix domestic matches in the Ram Slam T20 competition in South Africa last year. He was suspended in December and, said CSA, confessed to the charges last week.CSA yesterday announced a plethora of mitigating factors that saw Bodi escaping a lifetime ban. These included that he:Was suffering from significant stress and anxiety due to both financial and personal issues at the time of the offence;Pleaded guilty;Co-operated with CSA's investigation;Showed remorse, apologised to CSA and was ready to issue a public apology; andHas already experienced some public contempt and ridicule, which will be part of his life for years to come.Bodi's lawyer, Ayoob Kaka, yesterday told The Times that his client's co-operation until now had been to disclose his involvement."There are other aspects of the ongoing investigation which he has undertaken to co-operate with."All things on how he was approached, the others involved and what matches were to be affected are under wraps. This is part of the agreement with the CSA. We can't provide any more details as it could prejudice the investigation."On Bodi's sanctions, Kaka said though his client was happy to sign the deal, he would have preferred to have received less than a 20-year ban."He has to issue a public apology and go on several courses, which include an anti-corruption education programme."Kaka, commenting on criminal charges being laid against Bodi, said any possible criminal charges were not part of the deal."Nothing has happened with this. We cannot say if we are anticipating it as this is up to the complainant [CSA]. The CSA has, however, not given us any indication on this. I believe that they are waiting for the completion of their investigation."CSA's announcement of Bodi's ban left many disappointed with the sporting body refusing to say how many other players were or are involved, how, when and how many fixes or attempted match fixes were arranged, how widely match-fixing has spread in South African cricket, or even how long its investigation will last."I fully accept that there are members of the media who would have liked to have had information sooner, but this is a very complex matter," said CSA board member Louis von Zeuner."Despite the wrong being done we are dealing with human beings. We also need to act in a responsible way and it just was not possible to share any information earlier than today."On any police investigation, he said: "Whatever action needs to be taken in terms of anti-corruption legislation will be adhered to."CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said the evidence received from Bodi "suggests that we got him in a planning phase and that no fixes had been active. We won't stop short until we've concluded every last shred of evidence. That could take us weeks, months, if not years"...