HARARE, ZIMBABWE - MARCH 19: Brendan Taylor of Zimbabwe celebrates his cenury during The Cricket World Cup Qualifier between The West Indies and Zimbabwe at The Harare Sports Club on March 19, 2018 in Harare, Zimbabwe. (Photo by Julian Herbert-IDI/IDI via Getty Images)
THE Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) says it fully endorses the decision by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to hand former Zimbabwe Cricket captain Brendan Taylor a three-year-ban from all cricket activities.
Taylor was banned days after revealing he took cocaine and accepted a US$15 000 “deposit” to engage in spot-fixing. ICC said Taylor had admitted to four breaches of its anti-corruption code and a separate charge of violating the global governing body’s anti-doping code.
The ICC said he had failed to disclose to the organisation’s anti-corruption unit the receipt of gifts or hospitality and failed to reveal full details of “an approach to engage in corrupt conduct”.
Taylor’s violation of the ICC’s anti-doping code, which is separate from the anti-corruption charges, resulted from an in-competition test conducted in September 2021 following Zimbabwe’s match against Ireland. SRC, who have pledged zero tolerance to corruption, have since broken their silence over the Taylor saga.
“SRC have taken note of the ICC decision to ban former Zimbabwe Cricket captain Brendan Taylor from all cricket activities for three and half years after he accepted charges of breaching the ICC Anti Corruption Code and ICC’s Anti Doping Code.
“The SRC has requested the Zimbabwe Republic Police to ascertain whether any of the criminal laws in Zimbabwe, particularly those relating to procurement, possession and injestment of substances deemed illegal under our domestic laws, have been breached by Taylor, and if so that the necessary remedial action is instituted by the national prosecuting authority.
“The SRC fully endorses the decision of the ICC and stands ready to give any assistance to it or Zimbabwe Cricket with respect to any further actions contemplated by them in so far as Taylor is concerned,” SRC said in a statement.
The ICC says the anti-doping ban, which will run concurrently with his corruption suspension, was reduced to a month because Taylor was able to establish his doping breach had been “unrelated to sport performance” and because he is currently undergoing a rehabilitation programme.
