Two former Sussex cricketers charged with match-fixing

Two former Sussex cricketers have been charged with match fixing.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said that it had issued charges against Naveed Arif and the New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent and under the ECB’s Anti-Corruption Code.

The ECB said: “Vincent is charged with a total of 14 offences in relation to two county matches played under the ECB’s jurisdiction in August 2011 – a Twenty20 match between Sussex and Lancashire and a 40-over game between Sussex and Kent.

“Naveed Arif is charged with six offences in relation to the 40-over game between Sussex and Kent in August 2011.

“Both players have been provisionally suspended from all cricketing activities organised, authorised or supported by the ECB, ICC, any other national cricket federation and any member of any other national cricket federation.”

Chris Watts, head of the ECB’s Anti-Corruption unit, said: “This has been an extremely complex and lengthy investigation co-ordinated across many jurisdictions around the world.

“This matter is now the subject of formal legal proceedings and we will therefore make no further comment other than to reiterate our determination to bring to account the very small minority who seek to corrupt cricket.”

ECB chief executive David Collier said: “The ECB’s ACCESS unit has worked tirelessly in conjunction with the ICC’s ACSU to bring about these charges, which once again demonstrates the ECB’s zero tolerance approach to corruption in our great game.”

The charges come as three former Whitehawk footballers are being tried over match-fixing claims at Birmingham Crown Court.

Michael Boateng, 22, Hakeem Adelakun, 23, and Moses Swaibu, 25, all from London, deny conspiring to commit bribery and an alternative charge of bribery.