In a recent development, a club cricketer based in the UK, Rizwan Javed, has been hit with a substantial 17-and-a-half-year ban from playing cricket at any level. The ban is a result of match-fixing allegations linked to the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 Cricket League. Javed faced accusations of trying to manipulate matches on three separate occasions, enticing other players with rewards to engage in corrupt activities, and not cooperating with the International Cricket Council (ICC) investigation.
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This issue involved a total of eight players and officials who were charged by the ICC in September of the previous year, including Bangladesh international player Nasir Hossain. Hossain received a two-year ban, with six months suspended in January.
Rizwan Javed’s ban comes as a stern response to his repeated and serious attempts to corrupt professional cricket. Alex Marshall, the ICC General Manager Integrity, emphasized that this punishment sends a strong message to anyone attempting to corrupt cricket at any level, highlighting the commitment to dealing strongly with any such attempts.
The ban, effective from September 19, 2023, was imposed after Rizwan failed to respond to the charges related to his involvement in the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 Cricket League. The charges against him included attempting to fix matches in the Abu Dhabi T10 2021 on three separate occasions (Article 2.1.1). Additionally, he was charged with offering rewards to induce corrupt conduct (Article 2.1.3) and failing to disclose full details of approaches received to engage in corrupt conduct (Article 2.4.4). Furthermore, he faced a charge of failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate with any investigation (Article 2.4.6).
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By not responding to the charges, Rizwan was considered guilty of the offenses and chose to waive his right to a hearing. The severity of the ban underscores the commitment to maintaining the integrity of cricket and serves as a warning to others contemplating similar actions.
