[UPDATED] Cricketer Devon Thomas suspended for alleged match-fixing

West Indies wicketkeeper/batsman Devon Thomas has been charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with seven counts under the anti-corruption code, and suspended with immediate effect.

The ICC said 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."

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

The ICC said the 33-year-old Antiguan has 14 days from May 23 to respond to the charges against him.

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

The regional governing body said it will continue collaborating with the ICC and west Indies Players Association (WIPA) to sensitise and educate players and officials on anti-corruption in sports.

CWI said it will not make any further statement while the matter is being handled by the ACU.

Thomas last represented the West Indies in December 2022, when he made his Test debut against Australia in Adelaide, Australia. Before that, he had played a T20 international against New Zealand in Kingston, Jamaica in August last year.

He was part of the winning St Kitts and Nevis Patriots team in the 2021 CPL, scoring 196 runs from nine matches at an average of 24.50.

He joined the Barbados Royals squad for the 2022 CPL season but lost to Jamaica Tallawahs in the final.

In a statement on Tuesday, a CPL spokesman said: “The CPL does not comment on ongoing investigations, but we take any allegations of corrupt activities extremely seriously and will always co-operate fully with any investigation into whether our Anti-Corruption code has been breached.

“The CPL condemns any corrupt activities in the strongest terms and we will continue to work closely with the CWI and the ICC to maintain the integrity of the game at all levels.”

According to the ICC, the maximum possible sanction for the most serious breaches of the anti-corruption code is a life ban from all involvement in the game. Criminal proceedings are also a possibility in some countries.

Thomas is not the first West Indian to be charged by the ICC for breaches of its anti-corruption code.

In 2021, Jamaican Marlon Samuels was charged with four counts of allegedly breaching the Emirates Cricket Board’s anti-corruption code. The charges are related to the Abu Dhabi T10 League in 2019, when Samuels was part of the Karnataka Tuskers squad.

The charges against Thomas:

Article 2.1.1 of the SLC Code – 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.

Article 2.4.4 – Failing to disclose to the designated anti-corruption official, without unnecessary delay, full details of an approach or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct in the Lanka Premier League 2021.

Article 2.4.6 – Failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to co-operate with the designated anti-corruption official’s investigation by failing to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the designated official.

Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing or delaying the designated anti-corruption official’s investigation into corrupt conduct, including (without limitation) concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence of or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct.

Article 2.4.4 of the ECB Code – Failing to disclose to the designated anti-corruption official, without unnecessary delay, full details of an approach or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct at the Abu Dhabi T10 2021.

Article 2.4.4 of the CPL Code – Failing to disclose to the designated anti-corruption official, without unnecessary delay, full details of an approach or invitations received to engage in corrupt conduct in relation to the CPL 2021.

Article 2.4.2 – Failing to disclose to the designated anti-corruption official (without unnecessary delay) the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or benefit (a) that he knew or should have known was made in order to procure a breach of the CPL Code, or (b) could have brought the player or the game of cricket into disrepute.

This story was originally published with the title "West Indies' Devon Thomas charged by ICC anti-corruption unit" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

West Indies batsman Devon Thomas has been charged by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with seven counts under the anti-corruption code, and been suspended with immediate effect.

The ICC said 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."

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.

The ICC said the 33-year-old Antiguan has 14 days from May 23, 2023 to respond to the charges against him.

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

The regional governing body said it will continue collaborating with the ICC and west Indies Players Association (WIPA), to sensitise and educate players and officials on anti-corruption in sports.

CWI said it will not be making any further statement while the matter is being handled by the ACU.

Thomas last represented the West Indies in December last year when he made his Test debut against Australia in Adelaide, Australia. Prior to that, he played a T20 international against New Zealand in Kingston, Jamaica in August last year.