West Indies star batter Devon Thomas handed five-year ban under anti-corruption code

The ICC has suspended West Indies star cricketer Devon Thomas and handed him the seven charges against him under the anti-corruption code, mainly including controversing to fix matches. Notably, the star batter now has 14 days to respond to all the allegations. The stylish right-handed batter has recently been named to the national squad for the ODI series against the UAE, which will take place in Sharjah.

However, the 34-year-old cricketer's charges are against his regard for playing for three different franchise-based teams featuring the Lanka Premier League, Abu Dhabi T10, and Caribbean Premier League. The ICC has released the statements and revealed that Thomas breached the anti-corruption laws three times.

Speaking about the charges here, the Antigua-born cricketer's most major charges came in 2021, when he was part of the LPL team Kandy Warriors. Notably, the star cricketer was just part of the single game in that edition. However, overall, he has four charges under the SLC anti-corruption code for his conduct of the tournament. Meanwhile, the star batter also has one character under the ECB code when he disclosed the details during the UAE T10 being a part of the Pune Devils team back in 2021.

Article 2.1.1 of the SLC Code - 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.

Article 2.4.4 of the SLC Code – 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.

Article 2.4.6 of the SLC Code - 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.

Article 2.4.7 of the SLC Code – 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.

Article 2.4.4 of the ECB Code – 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.

Article 2.4.4 of the CPL Code – 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 relation to the CPL 2021.

Article 2.4.2 of the CPL Code – 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 in order to procure a breach of the CPL Code, or (b) could have brought the player or the game of cricket into disrepute.

Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager – Integrity Unit, said:

“Having played both international and professional domestic/franchise cricket, Devon attended numerous anti-corruption education sessions. He therefore knew what his obligations were under the Anti-Corruption Codes but failed to meet these obligations across three different franchise leagues.

“This ban is apt and should send a strong message to players and corrupters that attempts to corrupt our sport will be dealt with firmly.”