Wellington: Disgraced former New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent on Tuesday was banned for life from cricket for match-fixing, admitting he was a cheat who had shamed the sport and his country.
“My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat. I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money through fixing,” he said in a statement.
The punishment, which was confirmed by the England and Wales Cricket Board, stems from one-day matches that Vincent admitted he helped rig in English county cricket.
His former Sussex team mate, Naveed Arif, was also banned for life last month after admitting similar corruption offences.
The ECB said in a statement that Vincent pleaded guilty to 18 breaches of its anti-corruption regulations. Four charges related to a Twenty20 match between Lancashire and Durham in June 2008.
The remaining 14 concerned two fixtures played in August 2011 — a Sussex v Lancashire Twenty20 and a Sussex v Kent CB40 match.
International Cricket Council chief executive David Richardson welcomed the ban by saying: “The ICC has a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and these life bans, together with the life ban recently imposed by the ECB on Naveed Arif, should send out a loud and clear message to all those who indulge in corrupt practices and think they can get away with it.”
Vincent, 35, has given additional evidence to ICC anti-corruption investigators about his involvement in fixing in five countries between 2008 and 2012. Among his allegations were that a “world-famous international” dubbed “Player X” recruited him into the murky world of match-rigging.
New Zealand legend Chris Cairns has said he believes he is Player X but questioned Vincent’s credibility and vehemently denied any involvement.
“Speaking out. Exposing the truth. Laying bare the things I have done wrong is the only way I can find to begin to put things right,” he said.
