Corruption in domestic cricket
Reporting, predominantly from Associate Members, continues to provide insights into the current domestic cricket corruption environment. Corruptors have and continue to target domestic cricket outside of franchise leagues, often in unexpected locations. With the increase in betting sponsorships coupled with streaming of matches and lack of the local Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) coverage, this has provided the opportunity for targeting from corruptors. A recent example is the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) banning Ihsanullah Janat for five years in August 2024, for ‘involvement in corrupt activities' following an ACB anti-corruption investigation into the 2024 Kabul Premier League.
Addressing corruption in domestic cricket, including the investigation and prosecution under the ICC Anti-Corruption Code is the responsibility of Members. With effect from 1 June 2024, the ICC Anti-Corruption Code (and all domestic anti-corruption codes) was replaced with a new global version of the Code, covering all corrupt activity throughout official cricket, whether at the international or domestic level. Each Member Board is required to develop its own procedural rules to sit alongside the Code. Alternatively, Members can use the ICC’s procedural rules and amend those to be relevant for their jurisdiction. It is understood that a number of Associate Members are yet to address this, and efforts will be made to engage with them via the ICC regional teams.
Members are encouraged to ensure they understand the current corruption risks and measures in place to respond accordingly to any suspected corruption incident. Education across all levels, including players, officials and staff, continues to play a crucial role in growing the game globally with integrity. In September, the ACU worked together with Kuwait Cricket (KC) to provide education and training to all players and staff, including KC ACU.
The ICC Associate Member Integrity Action Plan 2021-23 successfully ensured the Unit formalized and continued to enhance support to all Associate Members, particularly in relation to Anti-Corruption. The primary objective of the plan was to identify and address vulnerabilities while empowering and supporting Members to protect themselves and their participants across all areas of integrity. The Unit remains committed to this and work has commenced to establish key themes, opportunities and best practice for the next iteration covering the period 2025-29.