KEVIN MCCALLUM: Cricket SA is overrun by its own Nkandla Firepool.

One person’s security risk is another’s fire pool. The problem with half-truths, exaggeration, deceptions, and your common and garden variety fibs, is that they create a whirlpool of denial and lies. One lie begets another until you run out of lies and get found out.

As Michael Klopman of the Huffington Post put it succinctly and perfectly: “Lying is a vicious cycle, one that only gets worse with every denial. It begins with a subtle fabrication and ends with a tainted reputation. But in the scrutinized world of sports, some just can’t face the truth.”