Cricketer handed 17 and a half year ban in match-fixing probe

A UK-based cricketer has been banned from all forms of the game for 17 and a half years over match-fixing claims relating to the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 Cricket League.

Rizwan Javed, a club cricketer, was one of eight players and officials charged by the ICC last September.

The most notable of the group was Bangladesh international Nasir Hossain, who is now serving a two-year ban.

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Rizwan was found guilty of five separate breaches of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Anti-Corruption Code for Participants, and because he did not respond to the charges was deemed guilty.

He was found guilty of:

Article 2.1.1 – Being party to an attempt to fix, contrive or influence improperly matches or aspects of matches in the Abu Dhabi T10 2021 (on three separate occasions).

Article 2.1.3 – Offering a Reward to another Participant in exchange for that player engaging in Corrupt Conduct.

Article 2.1.4 – Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach Code Article 2.1 (on three separate occasions).

Article 2.4.4 – Failing to disclose to the DACO full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in Corrupt Conduct under the Code.

Article 2.4.6 – Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to co-operate with any investigation carried out by the DACO in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Code.

With the ban backdated to September 19 2023, Rizwan cannot play cricket at any level until March 2041.

“Rizwan Javed has received a lengthy ban from cricket for his repeated and serious attempts to corrupt professional cricketers,” ICC General Manager Integrity Alex Marshall said.

“The sanction imposed should send a strong message to other corrupters trying to target cricket at any level and demonstrates that any attempt to corrupt cricket will be strongly dealt with.”