In a major blow to West Indies cricket, batter Devon Thomas has been handed a five-year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for violating anti-corruption regulations across multiple cricketing platforms.
Thomas admitted to breaching seven counts of the anti-corruption codes of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), and the Caribbean Premier League (CPL).
The ban stems from incidents dating back to May 2023 when Thomas was initially suspended on charges related to match-fixing. The period of ineligibility, effective from May 23, 2023, when he was first provisionally suspended, includes a retroactive measure, resulting in the last 18 months being suspended.
According to an ICC release, the charges against Thomas involved his conduct during various tournaments including the Lanka Premier League (LPL), Abu Dhabi T20, and the CPL. The most serious allegation against him pertained to attempting to fix a match during the 2021 LPL season, where he featured in a single game for the Kandy Warriors.
The charges under the SLC anti-corruption code included contriving or being party to match-fixing agreements, failure to disclose approaches to the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU), and obstructing investigations by concealing or tampering with evidence. The lone charge under the ECB code related to failing to disclose details of a corrupt approach during the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 tournament while representing the Pune Devils.
Furthermore, Thomas faced two charges from the CPL, involving failure to report approaches and gifts that could have compromised the integrity of the game or brought cricket into disrepute. These charges were associated with his stints with the St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and the Barbados Royals in the 2022 and 2021 editions of the CPL, respectively.