Player approached mysteriously in T20 World Cup match fixing incident, ICC takes action

T20 World Cup 2024: The menace of corruption in cricket remains a persistent challenge for the game's administrators. Recently, a prompt action by the ICC's anti-corruption unit thwarted an approach from a former Kenya international to a Ugandan player during the ongoing T20 World Cup. This incident unfolded during the league stage matches in Guyana, where a former Kenyan pacer made repeated attempts to contact a member of the Ugandan team using different phone numbers.

In accordance with the ICC's stringent anti-corruption protocols, the Ugandan player immediately reported the suspicious approach to the ACU officials present at the venue. This swift response led to the officials issuing a red flag against the former Kenya player, alerting all associate teams about the potential threat.

“It is not a surprise that this person targeted a player from the Ugandan national team. Associate nations, as compared to the big teams, are soft targets for corruption but in this case, the player who was approached did the needful by informing the ICC at the earliest," a source informed PTI.

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Under the ICC's anti-corruption code, failing to report a corrupt approach is an offence. Other serious violations include match-fixing, betting on games, misusing inside information, and non-cooperation with investigations.

Uganda's T20 World Cup journey concluded with a victory over Papua New Guinea and losses to Afghanistan, New Zealand, and the West Indies in Trinidad. Competing for the first time in this prestigious event alongside Canada and co-hosts USA, Uganda played three out of their four league games in Guyana.

"Players are approached all the time, more so from smaller nations. In bigger events like T20 World Cup, there is more scrutiny and if an approach is conveyed to the ICC ACU, then due protocol is followed and a proper investigation is conducted," another source mentioned.

Since June 1, the ICC has revised its anti-corruption code to empower the governing body and member boards to proactively investigate corruption incidents. The code applies to all cricket played under the ICC's auspices and includes players, coaches, trainers, managers, selectors, team owners, officials, doctors, physiotherapists, match referees, pitch curators, player agents, umpires, and ICC and NCF officials. Participants remain bound by the code for two years after their last official involvement in cricket.

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“The maximum possible sanction for the most serious breaches of the Anti-Corruption Code is a life ban from all involvement in the game. In some countries, there is also the possibility of criminal sanctions," states an extract from the ICC's anti-corruption code for participants.

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Historical precedents of such corrupt approaches exist, notably in the 2011 ODI World Cup in India, when Canada's then 20-year-old wicket-keeper Hamza Tariq was approached by alleged bookmakers. Tariq promptly reported the matter to the authorities.

(With inputs from PTI)

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