Cricket: Sri Lanka’s Nuwan Zoysa banned for six years by ICC for corruption

Dubai: Former Sri Lanka pace bowler Nuwan Zoysa has been banned from all cricket for six years after an International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption tribunal found him guilty of breaching its code, the sport’s governing body said on Wednesday.

The ban for 42-year-old Zoysa, who has also had coaching stints with the Sri Lanka women’s team and the men’s ‘A’ squad, is retroactive from October 31, 2018 when he was provisionally suspended, the ICC added.

“Nuwan played 125 matches for Sri Lanka, attending a number of anti-corruption sessions during a decade-long international career,” Alex Marshall, ICC General Manager — Integrity Unit, said in a statement.

“In his role as a national coach, he should have acted as a role model. Instead, he became involved with a corrupter and attempted to corrupt others.

“Contriving to fix a game betrays the basis of sporting principles. It will not be tolerated in our sport.” In November, Zoysa was found guilty of match-fixing by an independent anti-corruption tribunal.

Zoysa was provisionally suspended in 2018 and charged with three offences under the anti-corruption code, including “being party to an agreement or effort to fix” a match.

He has also been charged with breaching four counts of the Emirates Cricket Board’s anti-corruption code for players who participated in a T10 league in the UAE in 2017 and the proceedings are ongoing, the ICC said.

The left-arm bowler played 30 Tests and 95 ODIs from 1997-2007.

Earlier this month, former Sri Lanka all-rounder Dilhara Lokuhettige was banned from cricket for eight years due to corruption.