ICC Charges West Indies Player Devon Thomas With Corruption, Hands Provisional Suspension

ICC Charges West Indies Player Devon Thomas With Corruption, Hands Provisional Suspension (Image Source: Google)

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has charged West Indies international all-rounder/keeper Devon Thomas with seven counts under their anti-corruption codes and he has been provisionally suspended with immediate effect for his alleged involvement in attempts to fix matches in Lanka Premier League, Abu Dhabi T20 and Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The ICC has taken this action on behalf of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The ICC, in its capacity as the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, has charged Thomas under the SLC Anti-Corruption Code for Participants (the SLC Code), the ECB Anti-Corruption Code for Participants of the T10 Cricket League (the ECB Code) and the CPL Anti-Corruption Code for Participants (the CPL Code), cricket's world governing body informed in a release on Tuesday.

Devon Thomas has been accused under Article 2.1.1 of the SLC Code of contriving or being party to an agreement to fix or attempt to fix, contrive or influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspects of matches in the Lanka Premier League 2021.

He has also been charged with failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, without unnecessary delay, full details of an approach or invitations received to engage in Corrupt Conduct in the Lanka Premier League 2021.

Under Article 2.4.6 of the SLC Code, Thomas has been charged with failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to cooperate with the Designated Anti-Corruption Official's investigation by failing to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the Designated Anti-Corruption Official.

Under Article 2.4.7 of the SLC Code, he has been charged with obstructing or delaying the Designated Anti-Corruption Official's investigation into Corrupt Conduct, including (without limitation) concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of Corrupt Conduct.

Thomas has been charged, under Article 2.4.4 of the ECB Code, with failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, without unnecessary delay, full details of an approach or invitations received to engage in Corrupt Conduct at the Abu Dhabi T10 2021.

As per Article 2.4.4 of the CPL Code, Thomas has been charged with failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official, without unnecessary delay, full details of an approach or invitations received to engage in Corrupt Conduct in CPL 2021.

Under Article 2.4.2 of the CPL Code, he has been accused of failing to disclose to the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (without unnecessary delay) the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or benefit (a) that he knew or should have known was made to procure a breach of the CPL Code, or (b) could have brought the player or the game of cricket into disrepute.

Devon Thomas has 14 days, from May 23, 2023, to respond to the charges.

Devon Thomas has represented West Indies in one Test, 21 ODIs and 12 T20 Internationals.