Zoysa banned from cricket for 6 years for corruption

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — Former Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa has been banned from all cricket for six years after being found guilty of violating the International Cricket Council anti-corruption code.

The charges related to the T10 League in the United Arab Emirates in 2017 when Zoysa was a Sri Lanka bowling coach.

Zoysa was provisionally suspended on Oct. 31, 2018 and was found guilty last November by an independent tribunal of three charges.

The ICC on Wednesday announced the six-year ban, which has been backdated to 2018.

Zoysa’s violations included being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or influence improperly the result, progress, conduct of a match; directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any participant to act corruptly; and failing to disclose to the anti-corruption unit full details of any approaches or invitations to engage in corrupt conduct.

“Nuwan played 125 matches for Sri Lanka, attending a number of anti-corruption sessions during a decade-long international career. In his role as a national coach, he should have acted as a role model,” Alex Marshall, general manager of the ICC’s integrity unit, said in a statement. “Instead, he became involved with a corrupter and attempted to corrupt others.

“Contriving to fix a game betrays the basis of sporting principles. It will not be tolerated in our sport.”

Zoysa, who will turn 43 next month, played 30 tests and 95 one-day internationals over a decade until 2007.


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