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Key Points

Sri Lankan first-class cricketer Saliya Saman has been banned for five years by the ICC for anti-corruption code breaches. The charges stem from attempts to manipulate matches during the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 tournament. Saman was among eight individuals associated with the Pune Devils franchise implicated in the scandal. This marks another high-profile cricket corruption case following Bangladesh's Nasir Hossain's recent two-year ban.

Key Points: Sri Lanka's Saliya Saman Banned 5 Years for T10 Corruption

  • Saman among eight charged in 2023 for T10 corruption
  • Ban backdated to September 2023 provisional suspension
  • Bangladesh's Nasir Hossain received 2-year ban in same case
  • Charges include match-fixing attempts and offering rewards
2 min read

Sri Lanka first-class cricketer Saliya Saman banned from all formats for 5 years under Anti-corruption code

Former Sri Lankan domestic cricketer Saliya Saman receives a 5-year ban for breaching ECB Anti-Corruption Code in Abu Dhabi T10 scandal.

"The Tribunal found Saman guilty of attempting to fix matches in the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 League - ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal"

New Delhi, August 15

Former Sri Lankan domestic cricketer Saliya Saman has been banned from all cricket for five years after an ICC Anti-Corruption Tribunal found him guilty of breaching the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) Anti-Corruption Code.

Saman was among eight people charged in September 2023 for breaching the Code, according to the ICC website.

The ban is backdated to 13 September 2023, when Saman was provisionally suspended, as one of eight people - all associated with the Pune Devils franchise in the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 tournament - charged with breaching the code.

Those eight included the Bangladesh allrounder Nasir Hossain, who in January 2024 was banned for two years after being found guilty of the three charges against him.

The charges relate to the 2021 Abu Dhabi T10 Cricket League and attempts to corrupt matches in that tournament, which were disrupted by the ICC, the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (DACO) for the purposes of the ECB's Code for the tournament.

Following a full hearing and presentation of written and oral argument, the Tribunal found Saman guilty. The charges against Saman relate to three articles of the ECB's anti-corruption code.

Article 2.1.1 - Being party to an attempt to fix, contrive, or influence improperly matches or aspects of matches in the Abu Dhabi T10 2021.

Article 2.1.3 - Offering a Reward to another Participant in exchange for that player engaging in Corrupt Conduct under the Code.

Article 2.1.4 - Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach Code Article 2.1.

The 39-year-old Saman, an allrounder who has played 101 first-class matches, 77 List A games and 47 T20S, last played a recognised fixture during the SLC Twenty20 Tournament in March 2021.

- ANI

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Reader Comments

P
Priya S
Why do players risk their careers like this? The T10 leagues have become hotspots for fixing. ICC needs to monitor these tournaments more strictly.
A
Aman W
At 39 years old, this ban effectively ends his career. Sad to see such talent go to waste because of greed. Young cricketers should learn from this example.
S
Sarah B
The ICC is doing good work catching these corrupt elements, but I wonder how many more go undetected? The punishment should include mandatory education programs.
V
Vikram M
This is why I only watch international matches now. These franchise leagues have too much money and too little oversight. BCCI was right to keep Indian players away from T10.
N
Nisha Z
Respectfully, I think the ICC should focus more on prevention than punishment. Maybe they need to increase player salaries in domestic circuits to reduce temptation?
K
Karthik V
Shameful! As a cricket lover, this makes me so angry. These players forget that fans spend hard-earned money to watch honest cricket. Ban should be life-time for such offenses.

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