By Dhammika Ratnaweera
Former Sri Lanka cricketer Nuwan Zoysa denied any wrongdoing after being charged guilty of corruption on three counts by an independent tribunal of the ICC.
Already serving the suspension on match-fixing charges, Zoysa was charged under the ICC anti-corruption code in November 2018 and was found guilty on all charges on Thursday after the former Sri Lanka bowling coach exercised his right to a hearing before an independent anti-corruption tribunal.
The ICC media statement said Zoysa will remain suspended and sanctions will follow in due course.
“It was shocking for me when I was made aware that ICC had gone onto release a press statement saying that I have been found guilty of the charges that I have never committed,” the 42-year-old told reporters.
Making his claim on technicalities of the process, Zoysa said that the ICC which concluded its hearing on 18 September should have announced its decision within 30 days, but when it didn’t happen, he instructed his counsel to write to ICC.
Zoysa was provisionally suspended in May 2019 on charges of indulging in corruption during a T20 league in the UAE.
According to the ICC, Zoysa has been found guilty of:
Article 2.1.1 – for being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct, or other aspect(s) of a match.
Article 2.1.4 – Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging, or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach Code Article 2.1.
Article 2.4.4 – Failing to disclose to the ACU full details of any approaches or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code.
“Zoysa has also been charged by the ICC on behalf of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) with breaching four counts of the ECB anti-corruption code for participants for the T10 League and these proceedings are ongoing,” the ICC had said in the release.
Nuwan Zoysa also said he is exploring the possibility of appealing against the charges he has been found guilty of by the ICC appointed Independent Anti-Corruption Tribunal.
“We are exploring possibilities of appealing any decision that might be given against me in both Courts – Court of Arbitration of Sports in Switzerland and Supreme Court of UK. Until now I have taken all steps to challenge the ICC and prove my innocence,” he concluded.
However, the Sri Lankan blamed the ICC for jeopardizing his career as a coach in Sri Lanka. Zoysa, who played 30 Tests and 95 ODIs for Sri Lanka, was appointed Sri Lanka’s bowling coach in September 2015. He worked at Sri Lanka cricket’s high-performance center, which gave him access to current international players. A star performer for Sri Lanka in the late ’90s, Zoysa had recorded a hat-trick in a Test against Zimbabwe at Harare in 1999.
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