Former Sri Lankan cricketer Nuwan Zoysa has been handed a six-year ban from the sport after the 42-year-old was found guilty of breaching the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) Anti-Corruption Code.
Following full hearings and presentations of written and oral argument, the organisation’s Anti-Corruption Tribunal found that the professional cricketer had violated three separate articles, including ‘being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly’ the outcome of an international match.
He was also found guilty of ‘directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating’ match-fixing attempts, whilst failing to disclose approaches or invitations.
Zoysa, who has coached his country’s women’s team and the men’s ‘A’ squad, was provisionally suspended on 31 October 2018 – the date of which the ban will be backdated to – before an independent anti-corruption tribunal found Zoysa guilty of match-fixing in November
Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – Integrity Unit, explained: “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. 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.”
The left-arm seam bowler has also been charged by the ICC on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) with breaching four counts of the ECB Anti-Corruption Code for Participants for the T10 League, with the ICC adding that these proceedings are ongoing.
Zoysa becomes the second cricketer this month to be banned by the ICC after former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak was dealt an eight-year ban from all cricket earlier in April by the governing body for similar offences.
