Mehar Chhayakar, an Indian-origin cricketer, based in the United Arab of Emirates, has been banned from all forms of cricket for 14 years allegedly for breaching the ICC and Cricket Canada anti-corruption codes. Chhayakar, who has been found guilty of having links to the corruption cases involving UAE cricketers in 2019, was banned for the matches related to Zimbabwe vs UAE series in April 2019 and the Global T20 Canada in 2019.
According to ICC, India-origin Mehar Chhayakar was also found guilty of refusing to cooperate with the officials and obstructing the work of the sport's Anti-Corruption Unit. Chhayakar was among four players suspended by the ICC in 2019 for breaching governing body's anti-corruption code. Former UAE skipper Mohammad Naveed and batter Shaiman Anwar Butt were handed an eight-year ban in March 2021, while another international cricketer, Qadeer Ahmed, was charged with a five-year ban the following month. UAE wicketkeeper Gulam Shabbir was also banned for four years in September 2021 for six code breaches.
In a statement released by ICC, ICC General Manager Alex Marshal informed that Mehar Chhayakar was first suspected of his involvement with a corrupt cricket tournament in Ajman in 2018. "The charges for which he has now received a lengthy ban are further examples of his continuing efforts to corrupt and damage the reputation of our sport. With a ban of 14 years, the tribunal has sent a clear message to anyone intending to corrupt our game."
According to ICC, Chhayakar had breached Article 2.1.1 (Obstructing or delaying any investigation that the ACU may carry out concerning possible corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code), Article 2.1.4 (directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any participant to breach any of the preceding provisions of this Article 2.1), Article 2.4.6 (failing without compelling justification, to cooperation with any investigation carried out by the ACU concerning possible corrupt conduct under the anti-corruption code) and Article 2.4.7 (Obstructing or delaying any investigation that the ACU may carry out concerning possible corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code).