The International Cricket Council (ICC) has handed former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor a three-and-a-half-year ban for breaching four charges of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and, separately, one charge of the ICC Anti-Doping Code. (More Cricket News)
Taylor has been banned for the incident about which he had recently revealed on social media. He had informed that two years back he was forced by an Indian businessman to receive money for spot-fixing in cricket after the businessman blackmailed him with a video of his taking cocaine.
Taylor, in his post, revealed that he was reluctant to take the money but clarified that he was not involved any sort of spot-fixing. He, however, added that he reported to ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit four months after the incident.
Taylor, who called time on his international career in 2021, has been found guilty of failing to report the issue to ICC’s ACU in time.
“Mr Taylor chose to admit the charges under the provisions of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code and agreed a sanction with the ICC in lieu of an Anti-Corruption Tribunal hearing,” said ICC.
Taylor has also been charged for doping, which is a separate incident that resulted from an In-Competition test conducted on 8 September 2021 following Zimbabwe’s match against Ireland. He had tested positive for a cocaine metabolite and has now been suspended for one month for that offence. However, his suspension will run concurrently with the suspension of three and a half years under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
“Taylor was able to establish that he had ingested the substance out of competition, that it was unrelated to sport performance, and because he is currently undergoing a rehabilitation treatment programme,” said ICC.
Meanwhile, Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – Integrity Unit, said, “It is disappointing that a player of his (Brendan Taylor’s) experience chose not to fulfil those obligations (under the ICC Anti-Corruption and Anti-Doping Codes).”
“I would echo Brendan’s message to other players to report approaches as soon as they happen so any corrupt activity can be disrupted at the earliest possible opportunity. We wish Brendan well in his rehabilitation,” he added.
