Domestic Cricket and its corruption landscape
Corruptors are focusing their efforts on all formats of cricket: international, franchise, and domestic. Since the pandemic, interest from corruptors in Associate Member domestic cricket (separate to franchise leagues) has been evident.
As ICC Integrity, we have coverage over ICC Events as well as those where DACO is assigned. With these events, we have a good understanding of those involved, the reporting, the players, and the risks. The domestic cricket landscape is one that is not our jurisdiction and, therefore, more vulnerable. While domestic players are not obligated under their Code to report to the ICC, their reporting provides insight into the level of cricket being targeted for fixing.
Recent reporting has shown that players from Associate Member countries were approached to corrupt in their own domestic leagues. This information adds to our knowledge of the domestic environment, and shows no matter the level of cricket, any form is a risk.
A significant vulnerability in domestic cricket is the lack of exposure of domestic players to sponsorship offers coupled with limited education on recognizing a suspicious offer. This can very quickly lead to players engaging in suspicious conversations further than they should, albeit unknowingly. In addition to not recognising suspicious offers, players are also not familiar with rejecting and reporting such offers, therefore restricting the authorities' ability to provide players with the support required.
To address the suspected information gaps that exist, the next session of ACU webinars will focus on the risks associated with domestic cricket. This is set to commence in late 2023. In the interim, messaging will continue to be relayed through the ICC regional offices.
To further support Members in building awareness and capability on integrity-related matters, the ICC ACU developed an ‘Anti-Corruption Recourse Pack’. This resource pack was disseminated to all associate members at the start of the year and was intended to inform and guide members with respect to Anti-Corruption education, awareness, and regulations.
The pack includes documents such as a questionnaire for league organisers, franchise owners and sponsors, key message documents, and ICC ACU posters to encourage members to provide domestic Anti-Corruption briefings to their players. These resources can also be found on the ICC website https://www.icc-cricket.com/about/integrity/anti-corruption/resources. It is the responsibility of all the Members to support and educate at the domestic level to ensure its integrity.