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Picture Credit: ICC

A former Sri Lanka player and coach has been banned from all cricket for six years after an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of breaching the ICC Anti-Corruption Code. The start of the player's ban, however, has been backdated to 31 October 2018, which was when he was provisionally suspended due to pending investigations.

The player in question is Nuwan Zoysa. The left-arm seamer played 30 Tests and 95 ODIs for Sri Lanka between 1997 and 2007, taking a total of 172 wickets. He was also the country's bowling coach from 2015 until his suspension in 2018.

Zoysa has been found guilty of "being party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspect(s) of an International Match." The other charge is about "directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach Code Article 2.1."

He also failed 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 three counts of the ECB Anti-Corruption Code for Participants for the T10 League and these proceedings are ongoing.

"It will not be tolerated in our sport"

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

The left-arm seamer played 30 Tests and 95 ODIs for Sri Lanka between 1997 and 2007, taking a total of 172 wickets. He was also the country's bowling coach from 2015 until his suspension in 2018.