The specter of corruption in cricket continues to haunt the game’s administrators, but one prospective approach from a former Kenya international to a Ugandan player in the upcoming T20 World Cup was quickly dealt with by the ICC’s anti-corruption team. According to PTI, the incident occurred during league stage matches in Guyana, when a former Kenya bowler attempted to contact a Ugandan squad member several times using several phone numbers. Following the ICC’s stringent anti-corruption protocol, the Ugandan player reported the approach to ACU authorities on the spot.
The development caused officials to issue a red flag against the former Kenyan player, warning all affiliate teams about him.
“It is hardly surprising that this individual targeted a member of the Ugandan national team. Associate nations, in comparison to big teams, are soft targets for corruption, but in this case, the player who was approached did the right thing by contacting the ICC as soon as possible,” a source told PTI.
Failure to report a corrupt approach is a violation of the ICC’s anti-corruption rules. The additional offenses include match-fixing, betting on the game, misusing inside information, and refusing to cooperate with an inquiry.
Uganda’s T20 World Cup campaign ended on Friday in Trinidad, with a spectacular triumph over Papua New Guinea and losses to Afghanistan, New Zealand, and the West Indies. Uganda, a first-time participant in the competition alongside Canada and co-hosts USA, played three of their four league games in Guyana
With effect from June 1, the ICC amended its anti-corruption code to empower the governing body and its member boards to “proactively and thoroughly investigate incidents of corruption in the ongoing effort to protect the integrity of the game.” “The anti-corruption code applies to all participants, including players, coaches, trainers, managers, selectors, team owners or officials, doctors, physiotherapists, match referees, pitch curators, player agents, umpires, and ICC and NCF officials.
