In March the investigators looking into the Ram Slam match-fixing saga might have wondered if they were being led into an increasingly multidimensional maze from which they would never escape. Millions from poor backgrounds live their life clean. I'm one of thoseWhen Gulam Bodi was banned in January and supposedly brought on board as a key ally and star witness, the investigation seemed to have a clear route to truth.But over the next two months, the players under the microscope led investigators down blind alleys, scuttled around corners at the last moment or disappeared underground. Sometimes they became hostile or changed their testimony.When players did sit in a room and give their version of events, no version related to anyone else's.Without a second source for any of the stories they were being told, the investigators found themselves deep in the maze with little idea about how to get home. In the meantime, navigating the investigation to this point has required both science and art.The science has come in the form of a forensics company, whose experts swept players' phones and laptops for deleted material and drew it to the surface. Gradually, the truth began to emerge and, from that point, persuasion was required to coax guilty parties across the line. So they were gently drawn towards a less capricious process with the resultant bans for players from different backgrounds who seemingly had a range of reasons for falling prey to Bodi and the betting syndicate behind him.Thami Tsolekile is the best known, and the one who received the harshest sentence. Digital evidence against him was clear, confirming venue and time of at least one meeting with the syndicate.Tsolekile is known as a complicated individual who feels let down by the South African system.Ethy Mbhalati had money problems when Bodi came along with his offers, and Jean Symes's career was looking increasingly precarious due to a spate of injuries. At the age of 32, perhaps Pumelela Matshikwe had a similar feeling as a fast bowler past his best years.But Judge Ngoepe had no sympathy. When it was suggested that some of the players, having come from disadvantaged backgrounds, might have made easy targets, he said: "That should never be used as justification for being corrupt. Millions of people from poor backgrounds live their lives clean, in accordance with principles. I'm one of those people who does not accept that excuse as justification for someone who steals, kills, murders or who is corrupt."This is because I come from a poor family," he said. - Wisden, India..