After facing a hearing conducted by an independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal, Marlon Samuels, a former West Indies cricketer, has been found guilty of four violations under the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Anti-Corruption Code. The charges were brought by the International Cricket Council (ICC) in September 2021, accusing Samuels of breaking the anti-corruption code four times during a T10 league in 2019. Samuels, aged 42, chose to go through the tribunal process and has now been formally convicted of the mentioned offenses. Here we have covered seven other cricketers who were found guilty of match fixing.
Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif
In August 2010, a sports scandal known as the Pakistan cricket spot-fixing scandal unfolded during a Test match between England and Pakistan at Lord’s, London. The incident revolved around three players, Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif from Pakistan’s national cricket team. They were found guilty of accepting bribes from bookmaker Mazhar Majeed with the intention of bowling deliberate no-balls at specific pre-planned moments in the Test match.
The ICC declared on February 5, 2011, that all three players had been banned: Butt received a ten-year ban with five years suspended, Asif received a seven-year ban with two years suspended, and Amir was banned for five years. The suspensions for Butt and Asif were subject to the condition that they do not violate the code again and participate in an anti-corruption education program under the supervision of the Pakistan Cricket Board.
Also read: 7 Cricketers Who Shook the Game with Their Involvement in Cricket Fixing
S Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan
The 2013 Indian Premier League spot-fixing and betting case emerged following the apprehension by the Delhi Police of three cricketers – Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila, and Ankeet Chavan. These players were accused of being involved in suspected spot-fixing activities. The trio had been part of the Rajasthan Royals team during the 2013 Indian Premier League season.
During July 2015, the RM Lodha Committee handed two-year suspensions to India Cements and Jaipur IPL, the owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals respectively. In a subsequent development, Sreesanth, Chandila, and Chavan were acquitted of all charges, having been found not guilty by the Patiala House Courts. However, Chandila faced a lifetime cricket ban from the BCCI in January 2016.
In March 2019, the Supreme Court overturned the lifetime ban on Sreesanth imposed by the BCCI. Then, in February 2023, the BCCI also removed the lifetime ban that had been imposed on Chandila.
Mohammad Azharuddin
In 2000, Mohammad Azharuddin was found guilty of engaging in match-fixing and subsequently received a lifetime ban from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). On India’s 2000 tour of South Africa, which they won with a 3-2 scoreline, Azharuddin managed to score 112 runs at an average of 28. Other prominent Indian cricketers influenced by Azharuddin and involved in match-fixing also exhibited similarly disappointing performances.
