The International Cricket Council (ICC) has suspended Praveen Jayawickrama from playing for one year for breaching the Anti-Corruption Code.
The six-month suspension was suspended after the Sri Lankan admitted breaching the following provision of the Code:
Article 2.4.7 – Interfering with or delaying an investigation by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), including concealing, falsifying or destroying documents or information that are relevant to the investigation or that may become evidence or lead to its discovery in connection with an investigation into corruption under the Anti-Corruption Code.
In August, Jayawickrama was charged with three counts of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The charges include the following offences under the Code:
Article 2.4.4 – Failing to report to the Anti-Corruption Unit, without unnecessary delay, details of an approach he received to carry out fixing in future International Matches.
Article 2.4.4 – Failing to report to the Anti-Corruption Unit, without unnecessary delay, details of an approach he received in which he was asked to approach another player, on a corrupter’s behalf, to carry out fixing in the 2021 Lanka Premier League.
Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing the investigation by deleting messages in which the approaches and offers to engage in corrupt conduct were made.
Summary of his offense:
Jayawickrama was approached by an old school friend, [MR X], who, looking to profit from betting, asked him to contact Sri Lankan player [PLAYER A] about fixing matches in the upcoming Lanka Premier League. [MR X] promised [PLAYER A] 60 lakhs Sri Lankan rupees and 50 lakhs to Jayawickrama if the fix was agreed upon.
Jayawickrama refused to approach [PLAYER A] directly, insisting that [MR X] do so instead, but he shared [PLAYER A’s] phone number. Despite having received anti-corruption training, he did not report the conversation to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official or inform [PLAYER A]. Subsequently, [MR X] contacted [PLAYER A] and made a corrupt proposal, which [PLAYER A] reported.
Later, [MR X] suggested to Jayawickrama that he could earn money by performing minor actions, such as bowling a no-ball, once he joined the national team. Jayawickrama rejected this offer but again failed to report it. After [MR X] was investigated by the police, Jayawickrama deleted all messages with his friend, including those detailing the corrupt approaches and payment amounts.
Corruption remains a pressing issue in sports, particularly highlighted in football lately. Brazilian international and Premier League player Lucas Paquetá, along with fellow Premier League players Ivan Toney and Sandro Tonali, are among those recently charged with betting-related offenses.
On top of these issues, the Chinese Football Association(CFA), last month, imposed lifetime bans on 43 individuals for match-fixing and related corruption.
Don’t forget to subscribe to our Telegram channel!
