We woke up this morning to news of West Indies cricketer Devon Thomas being banned because of breaching seven counts of the ICC’s anti-corruption code. In the past, this has been taken very seriously and it’s good to see that the highest levels of integrity is still being prioritised in the sport of cricket.
He was found guilty of being involved in corruption in franchise leagues in the countries of Sri Lanka, UAE and West Indies too. The 34-year old wicket-keeper batsman was banned for a period of 5 years, backdated to 23 May 2023 when his provisional suspension began.
How long before Devon Thomas plays again?
From the 5-year ban, he’s already sat out for a year, being suspended in May 2023. And because of admitting to the seven charges of match-fixing, 18 months of the ban have been suspended, which means he can return to playing professional cricket 18 months earlier than the actual duration of the ban.
This means that Thomas can next be seen playing cricket in November 2026. He will be 36 years old at the time and while he may make a return in franchise leagues, we think an international comeback gets ruled out. Thomas has played 1 Test, 21 ODIs, and 12 T20s for the country between 2009 and 2022.
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Thomas agreed to having fixed matches in the Lanka Premier League, citing that he believed it was essential in order to get selected in his franchise side. Similarly, he accepted money from someone to fix matches in the Caribbean Premier League, but mentioned that he didn’t got through with the fix.
He was even approached to fix matches in the Abu Dhabi T10 League and while he turned down the offer, he failed to report the incident to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). The Devon Thomas suspension will prove to be an example for other cricketers who try to corrupt the sport with such cheating and unfair practices.
According to the ICC Media Release, West Indies Cricket Player Devon Thomas banned for 5 years under the Anti Corruption Code 👇🏻 pic.twitter.com/Q4jTNP9Aay
— journalist jagabandhu Sahoo🇮🇳 (@JournalistJaga1) May 2, 2024
“This ban is apt and should send a strong message to players and corrupters that attempts to corrupt our sport will be dealt with firmly,” said Alex Marshall, general manager of the ACU. For more updates on the Devon Thomas suspension story, remember to always keep coming back to ReadScoops.com.
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