West Indies’ Thomas suspended for alleged match fixing

BARBADOS (Reuters): West Indies batter Devon Thomas has been provisionally suspended for alleged match fixing, the International Cricket Council (ICC) said on Tuesday, charging him with seven counts under its Anti-Corruption code.

The charges against Thomas, who has represented West Indies in all three formats, relate to his conduct while playing in the franchise-based Lanka Premier League, the Abu Dhabi T10 and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

“The charges involve contriving or being party to an agreement to fix or attempt to fix, contrive or influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspects of matches in the Lanka Premier League 2021,” ICC said

“He has also been charged under several other codes, including failing to disclose full details of an approach in the Lanka Premier League 2021, Abu Dhabi T10 2021 and CPL 2021.”

Thomas, 33, has 14 days to respond to the charges.

Thomas last played in December when he made his test debut against Australia at Adelaide. He has played 21 one-day internationals (ODI), 12 Twenty20s and one test match, and was named in the squad for next month’s ODI series against the United Arab Emirates.

“CWI (Cricket West Indies) is not directly involved in the process but remains firm in denouncing corruption in cricket, and fully supports the ICC ACU (Anti-Corruption Unit) in its efforts to uphold the integrity of the sport,” the body said.

“In collaboration with ICC and the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA), CWI remains committed to sensitizing and educating our players and officials on anti-corruption in sports.”