ICC bans UK-based club cricketer Rizwan Javed for 17-and-a-half years for corruption

Staff Report

LAHORE: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has banned Rizwan Javed, a UK-based club cricketer, for 17-and-a-half years ––– the second-longest sentence handed out by the ICC to date ––– after he was found guilty of five different breaches of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) anti-corruption code. Javed was among eight players and officials originally charged by the ICC in September 2023 over allegations of corruption at the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 league. The magnitude of the ban is only behind the 20-year ban given to Zimbabwe cricket official Rajan Nayar in 2018. Javed, as laid out by the ICC in a legal document, participated in matches for Cheadle Hulme Cricket Club in the Cheshire Cricket League until August 24, 2019, but in this case was under the scanner for his attempts to corrupt players in the T10 league, in particular within the Pune Devils franchise during the 2020-21 season.

Last year, the ICC had said it had “disrupted” attempts to corrupt games, and charged eight people –––– including Bangladesh international Nasir Hossain –––– accordingly. While the ICC said that Nasir had co-operated with investigation and had received a two-year ban, in Javed’s case, the ICC said he did not respond to the charges or offer co-operation.

Javed 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 cooperate with any investigation carried out by the DACO in relation to possible Corrupt Conduct under the Code.

“Rizwan Javed has received a lengthy ban from cricket for his repeated and serious attempts to corrupt professional cricketers,” Alex Marshall, ICC general manager – integrity, said. “He has shown no remorse and no respect for the rules that are in place to protect our sport. 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.” The ban is backdated to September 19, 2023, the date Javed was provisionally suspended on. The decision was handed out by Michael J Beloff KC, chair of the ICC code of conduct committee.