FIXING

ICC suspends Rajan Nayer for 20 years from all cricketing activity

by Cricbuzz Staff • Published on

"I think it is important that corrupters receive strong sanctions as it sends out a message to others," Cremer said. © Getty

The International Cricket Council (ICC) completed the investigation of the fixing allegation against former Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) official Rajan Nayer, who was found guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, resulting in a suspension for 20 years from all cricketing activity, an ICC release stated on Tuesday (March 27).

Nayer, the Marketing Director and Treasure of the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association, accepted the charges against him which included the violation of Article 2.1.1, 2.1.3 and 2.14, which comply as 'being party to an effort to fix', 'offering a player US $30,000 to fix' and 'directly solicited, induced, enticed or encouraged a player' for fixing.

The former ZC official had approached Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer to influence the outcome of the game prior to the Windies Test series in October, 2017. Nayer accepted the charge of 2.1.4, which if breached leads to an ineligibility of a minimum of five years and a maximum of a lifetime. The punishment will date back to the original suspension date - January 16, 2018 and will end on January 16, 2038.

Alex Marshall, General Manager of ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), stated: "I welcome the result of the investigation and the substantial sanction imposed upon Mr. Nayer. It is important that the seriousness of his offences were reflected in the length of ban.

"I would like to place on record my thanks to Graeme Cremer, who has acted with the utmost professionalism throughout this process. Immediately after he received the approach from Mr. Nayer he reported it to the ICC and we were able to get an investigation underway swiftly. Graeme has been involved and updated throughout the investigation and has played a critical role in ensuring that corruption has no place in our sport.

"I would also like to extend my thanks to Zimbabwe Cricket with whom we have worked closely throughout the investigation."

Cremer, who reported the incident immediately to the ICC, reckoned such issues should be eradicated from the game and urged all the players around the world to report them to the ICC at the earliest.

"I was appalled to be approached by someone so closely connected to the game and there was no doubt in my mind that I had to report it as soon as I could. We receive education around this which you never expect to have to use, but it certainly helped when it came to knowing what to do," Cremer said.

"I think it is important that corrupters receive strong sanctions as it sends out a message to others who might consider getting involved. For any cricketer who might find themselves in my position, my message is really simple - report it. The ICC will take any report seriously and will deal with you professionally and with respect. If we are to kick corruption out of the game, we must all play our part."

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