Former Zimbabwe Captain Brendan Taylor has been banned from all forms of cricket for a period of three & a half years by the ICC anti-corruption unit for failing to report an approach from alleged corruptors.
Brendan Taylor has been banned for three & a half years
He has been charged for breaching four codes of the ICC anti-corruption unit & charged separately for breaching one doping code.
In a media release on Friday, ICC said Taylor has accepted the ban & the charges levied on him. In a statement on Twitter, Taylor had revealed that he had been filmed using cocaine during a meeting in India with an alleged businessman who used that video to blackmail him to agree for indulging in spot-fixing. Taylor, who will turn 36 next week, has since admitted himself into a rehabilitation clinic.
Taylor also opened up to media that he had “beaten a few” drugs tests in the past few years before eventually failing one in his final international match in September 2021. “I might have beaten a few tests in the past two-and-a-half years but it got me when I was heading for destruction,” Taylor said.
The ICC said that Taylor choose to admit charges under the provisions of the ICC Anti-corruption code & agreed to the sanctions instead of facing a formal Anti-corruption Tribunal Hearing.
The charges levied on him are:
Article 2.4.2 – Failing to disclose (without unnecessary delay) the receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality, or other benefits that (a) the participant knew or should have known was given to them to procure a breach of the Code or (b) that was made or given in circumstances that could bring the participant or the sport of cricket into disrepute.
Article 2.4.3 – Failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) receipt of gifts/hospitality with a value of US$750 or more regardless of the circumstances in which they were given.
Article 2.4.4 – Failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) full details of the approach received to engage in corrupt conduct under the Code including in relation to Zimbabwe’s then-upcoming series against Sri Lanka and/or Bangladesh.
Article 2.4.7 – obstructing or delaying an ACU investigation, including 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 under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.
Doping Charges against Brendan Taylor
The ICC also pointed out that the anti-doping charge was levied on him separately after Taylor had done the in-competition test on September 8, 2021, during a match between Ireland and Zimbabwe. Taylor tested positive for a stimulant Benzoylecognine, which the ICC said is a “cocaine metabolite” and is specified as a “substance of abuse” under the anti-doping code.
“This one-month suspension will run concurrently with the suspension of three-and-a-half years under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code,” the ICC said. “Mr Taylor will be free to resume his involvement in the game on 28 July 2025.”
Alex Marshall, the ICC’s ACU head, said it was “disappointing” that Taylor, who played for Zimbabwe for 17 years and attended numerous anti-corruption and anti-doping sessions had failed to report the approach in time.
“It is disappointing that a player of his experience chose not to fulfil those obligations, however, he has accepted all charges, which has been reflected in the sanction,” Marshall said.
“I would echo Brendan’s message to other players to report approaches as soon as they happen, so any corrupt activity can be disrupted at the earliest possible opportunity. We wish Brendan well in his rehabilitation”, concluded Marshall.