The ICC Has Charged Eight Players and Officials with Violating Anti-corruption Rules
The charges relate to actions during the Abu Dhabi 2021 T10 Cricket League after unsuccessfully attempting to spoil matches. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has issued charges against all parties, both players and officials, for allegedly engaging in anti-corruption violations during a high-level cricket match. While this behavior has certainly led to serious allegations, it has not compromised the integrity of the game. Although this recent incident shows the complicated interplay between cricket and betting, and the fact that the ICC has to balance carefully in order to satisfy all stakeholders.
Three athletes are facing heavy fines
The ICC charges include several big-name players such as Bangladesh all-rounder Nasir Hossain. Hossain is suspected to have violated several rules, including Article 2.4.3, by failing to disclose the receipt of a gift of more than $750. He is also facing charges of failing to disclose details of corrupt approaches (Article 2.4.4) and failing to assist in the investigation of such cases (Article 2.4.6). This is not the entire list, which includes persons who allegedly violate certain articles. Rizwan Javed and Salia Saman of Sri Lanka are two other people facing similar charges, allegedly breaching Article 2.1.1 for participating in attempted match-fixing and Article 2.1.4 relating to assisting participants in fixing matches. Considering the fact that the articles are significant and may entail serious further investigations, they can cause permanent damage to the careers of athletes.
A number of officials are also in deep trouble
The same case also includes charges against the coaching staff and other officials like Krishan Kumar Chaudhary and Parag Sanghvi, co-owners of Pune Devils. According to information scouted and received by me, Chaudhary was not on the side of the authorities and hence did not cooperate with them and obstructed corruption investigations. According to information that has been circulated to the masses, Sanghvi has violated article 2.2.1 regarding betting on cricket matches. Apart from the main article under which Sanghvi is facing, he is also facing another charge of refusing to cooperate with the investigation. Other accused in the case include batting coach Ashar Zaidi, assistant coach Sunny Dillon and team manager Shadab Ahamed. All these people are being tried in the corruption case.
They have until September 19 to respond to the allegations. At that time, they are suspended from the games with a temporary disqualification. I would like to know something and understand how the ICC is reacting to this, but here you and I will not get any answer as there is silence on Hossein and Ahamed, with the assumption that their cases may be different.
Possible deficiency in the present integrity measures
Of course, cricket as a separate sport is part of this large and complex industry. Cricket has many sponsorships that contribute to its development. Also, the opportunities that bookmaker operators provide to place bets on this sport on their platforms also contribute to the development and enrichment of the cultural heritage of the sport. Nevertheless, the ICC must remain vigilant and pay close attention to possible infringements, as large sums of money can be at stake. Violations can result in disqualification for 10 years or more, but penalties alone are not enough to stop match-fixing.
Considering the other important fact, such prompt action by the ICC on recent alleged violations shows that cricket as a united and inspiring sport is being respected and its integrity is being upheld.
Today, unfortunately, in the world of sports there is such a thing as corruption, which is very difficult to eradicate. Although high standards are applied, including disqualifications and large fines, as we see, the headlines are periodically full of such information.
In order to avoid any provocative actions, the ICC would do well to take a page from other leagues that have implemented educational and preventive measures into their operations to ensure the safety and integrity of players and staff.
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