Eight cricket participants, including players and officials, have been charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC), acting on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), for violating different provisions of the ECB Anti-Corruption Code during the T10 League.
The allegations concern attempts to taint the fairness of games played as part of the Abu Dhabi T10 Cricket League 2021.
The ICC’s functions and duties in this case included acting as the ECB’s designated anti-corruption official (DACO) and presiding over the implementation of the code, consequently, ICC issued the charges on behalf of the ECB.
Co-team owners Krishan Kumar Chaudhury and Parag Sanghvi, batting coach Ashar Zaidi, and local players Rizwan Javed and Saliya Saman are among those accused. Charges include obstruction, delaying a DACO inquiry, failing to quickly reveal to the DACO specifics of corrupt behaviour by another participant, and placing bets on both domestic and foreign matches.
Attempts to inappropriately influence or alter games or features of games, as well as providing benefits to individuals in return for participating in corrupt behaviour, are among the additional allegations. Along with these accusations, Bangladeshi player Nasir Hossain is accused of withholding the receipt for a gift that cost more than $750 from the DACO, and team manager Shadab Ahmed was cited for not cooperating to the investigation.
Six of the accused were given temporary bans when the allegations were announced, including Krishan Kumar Chaudhary, Parag Sanghvi, Ashar Zaidi, Rizwan Javed, Saliya Saman, and Sunny Dhillon. Those accused have 14 days starting from September 19, 2023, to react to the allegations.
This episode serves as a sharp reminder of the difficult work of upholding cricket’s integrity and the need for effective anti-corruption regulations and measures to protect the sport’s spirit.
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