Praveen Jayawickrama Receives 1 Year Ban for ICC Anti-Corruption Breach

Sri Lanka spinner Praveen Jayawickrama has been banned from all forms of cricket for one year, with the last six months suspended, for breaching the sport’s anti-corruption code, as per International Cricket Council (ICC). According to ICC charges related to the Sri Lanka Premier League and International Cricket.

Remarks by Governing Body of ICC

• In August 2023 , the ICC charged Jayawickrama for failing to report an approach to fix matches and obstructing an investigation.
• The governing body said the 26-year-old was approached to fix international matches and was asked to approach another player to fix matches in the 2021 season of the Lanka Premier League.
• The ICC said Jayawickrama had admitted to being in breach of the anti-corruption code.
• As a result of the admission, Jayawickrama has accepted a sanction of a one-year period of ineligibility, of which the last six months are suspended.

Background story in August 2023

• Sri Lankan spinner Praveen Jayawickrama has been charged with three counts of breaching the ICC anti-corruption code, including failure to report match-fixing approach without delay and disruption of evidence.
• Reportedly, the Sri Lanka bowler was found to have deleted messages related to the approach for conducting corrupt practices.
• Jayawickrama has been charged under Article 2.4.4, which pertains to failing to report to the ACU (Anti-corruption Unit), without unnecessary delay, details of an approach he received to carry out fixing in future International Matches.
• The second offense is also related to Article 2.4.4, which pertains to failing to report to the ACU without unnecessary delay, details of an approach he received in which he was asked to approach another player, on a corruptor’s behalf, to carry out fixing in the 2021 Lanka Premier League.
• The cricketer has also been charged with obstructing the investigation.

ICC remarks that time

The ICC said, 

• Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing the investigation by deleting messages in which the approaches and offers to engage in corrupt conduct were made.
• The ICC added, Following Articles 1.7.4.1 and 1.8.1 of the Code, Sri Lanka Cricket and the ICC have agreed that the ICC will take action concerning the Lanka Premier League charge alongside the International Match charges.

Career

• Having made his international debut in a Test against Bangladesh in April 2021, Jayawickrama has played five Tests, five ODIs and five T20Is. 
• His last appearance for Sri Lanka was in a T20I series at home against Australia in 2022.
• In LPL (Lanka Premier League) 2021, Jayawickrama was a part of the Jaffna Kings side that won its second title. He played one match that season, taking two wickets. 
• In LPL 2024, he turned out for Dambulla Sixers.

About ICC ACU

Aim

The ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) aims to provide a coordinated and effective capability to protect all cricket played under the auspices of the ICC and its Members from corruption.

Make Corruption free Game

• Since the ICC ACU’s inception, awareness and responses to corruption in sport globally has grown and improved considerably.
• However, corruption continues to plague many sports, most notably football (soccer), tennis and cricket. 
• No sport is immune from this issue.

Corruption in Cricket

• Ultimately, corruption in sports exists because of the ability to make significant profits by betting on the result of a match or a specific part of the match when the outcome has been predetermined through a fix. 
• Betting occurs on both the illegal, unregulated markets (predominantly in the sub-continent where betting is a crime) and the regulated markets, which are facilitated by the growth in online gambling including via mobile phone apps.

ICC ACU Priorities

• Despite efforts within cricket to tackle the risk of corruption to the game, it is clear that the risk persists and will continue to be a major threat to the integrity of the game. 

It is for these reasons that the ICC’s ACU continues to pursue (in the following order of priority) the strategy of:

• Prevention
• Disruption
• Investigation
• Prosecution

In ongoing efforts to be a world leader in the fight against corruption in sports, the ICC ACU has developed robust Standard Operating Procedures (SOP’s) to ensure professionalism, transparency and uniformity in its work.

Principles which ICC’s ACU follows

1. Effective partnerships
2. Enhanced information gathering and analytical capability
3. Improved coordination and communication
4. Consistent prevention and education
5. Proactive investigation and prosecution

The ACU Network

• The ICC ACU have an unwavering commitment to protect all formats of international cricket played under the auspices of the ICC and its Members. 
• While the ICC ACU takes primary responsibility for protecting the international game, protecting domestic cricket is the primary responsibility of the ICC Full Member Domestic Board ACUs.

Current Domestic Board ACUs:

• Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB)
• Cricket Australia (CA)
• Bangladesh Cricket (BCB)
• Board of Control for Cricket India (BCCI)
• England & Wales Cricket (ECB)
• Cricket Ireland (CI)
• Pakistan Cricket (PCB)
• New Zealand Cricket (NZC)
• Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC)
• Cricket South Africa (CSA)
• Cricket West Indies (CWI)
• Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC)