SRI LANKA CRICKET NEWS

ICC charge Zoysa, Gunawardene under ECB's Anti Corruption Code

by Cricbuzz Staff • Last updated on

Both players were found guilty of breaking the Anti Corruption Code in the T10 League in UAE © Getty

Former Sri Lankan cricketers Nuwan Zoysa and Avishka Gunawardene have been charged by the International Cricket Council for breaching the Emirates Cricket Board's Anti Corruption Code. The breach relates to the T10 league that was played in the UAE last year in December. While Zoysa was charged for breaching four counts of the ECB's Code, Gunawardene was found to have breached two.

Zoysa's offences:

Article 2.1.1 - for being party to an agreement to influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspect(s) of a match.

Article 2.1.4 - Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach Code Article 2.1.

Article 2.4.4 - Failing to disclose to the ACU 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 cooperate with any investigation carried out by the ACU in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Code

Gunawardene's offences:

Article 2.1.4 - Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach Code Article 2.1.

Article 2.4.5 - Failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) full details of any incident, fact, or matter that comes to the attention of a Participant that may evidence Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code by another Participant.

The former cricketers have been given two weeks to respond to the charges and are provisionally suspended. This is also Zoysa's second suspension in the last six months. He was charged with three counts of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code last year in November. The 40-year-old has played 30 Tests and 95 ODIs for Sri Lanka whereas Gunawardene represented the island nation in six Tests and 61 ODIs.

The move also comes after ICC offered amnesty to the players who had failed to report information related to corrupt conduct. The amnesty ran between January 16-31 and allowed domestic and international participants to report complete details of any approaches, incident or information with regard to corrupt conduct.

The game's governing body had also threatened to ban the participants for a maximum period of five years in case they fail to divulge any such approaches or information. However, the participants were assured they won't be charged for their failure to report previously.

Meanwhile, on the back of ICC charging Gunawardene under the Emirates Cricket Board Anti-Corruption Code, Sri Lanka Cricket suspended the former cricketer as one of the coaches of the 'Emerging Team' with immediate effect.

© Cricbuzz

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