The International Cricket Council (ICC) has imposed a one-year ban on Sri Lankan cricketer Praveen Jayawickrama after he confessed to violating the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
Of the one-year ban, six months are suspended due to Jayawickrama’s admission of violating the following provision of the Code, which states:
Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing or delaying any investigation conducted by the ACU, including concealing, tampering with, or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may serve as evidence or lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code.
In August, Jayawickrama was accused of violating the ICC Anti-Corruption Code on three separate counts. These charges pertain to the following offences outlined in 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 offence:
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 offences.
On top of these issues, the Chinese Football Association (CFA), last month, imposed lifetime bans on 43 individuals for match-fixing and related corruption.