More than 100 days on, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is yet to proceed the hearing of Sri Lankan’s former players and A team Coach Avishka Gunawardene, Cricket Age reliably learns.
On May 10, Gunawardene, along with another former Sri Lanka player Nuwan Zoysa, was charged by the ICC under the Emirates Board Anti-corruption Code.
The charges relate to the T10 Cricket League played in the UAE in December 2017.
Avishka was charged by ICC on two counts:
Article 2.1.4 – Directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging or intentionally facilitating any Participant to breach Code Article 2.1.
Article 2.4.5 – Failing to disclose to the ACU (without unnecessary delay) full details of any incident, fact, or matter that comes to the attention of a Participant that may evidence Corrupt Conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code by another Participant.
Right after announcing the charges, Avishka was immediately provisionally suspended under the ECB Code and had been given 14 days to reply on the charges.
However, even after more than three months, the ICC is yet to start the proceedings.
On May 24, Avishka has replied to ICC in the charges. However, as Avishka had some doubts over ICC involvement capacity in said T10 league, his lawyer asked for some documents to cricket world governing body.
The main questions raised by Avishka’s lawyer were:
Charges were based on incident happened in Sharjah on 14t of December.
ICC charged on behalf of Emirates Cricket Board as ‘agent’.
No document of the contract between ICC and ECB was submitted.
T-10 league owned by private owner Shaji-Ul-Mulk.
T-10 league was not sanctioned in the year 2017.
League does not come under ECB Code or ICC code.
In addition Avishka’s lawyer asked for some more documents, like:
Contract between SLC and ECB regarding T-10 league held in Sharjah in 2017.
Contracts between players/coaches and ECB/ICC (as agent).
Any agreement binding SL players to ECB code or ICC code for this league.
Documents proving ICC was appointed to be agent of ECB with regards to the league.
Sports Minister’s approval of ‘Team Sri Lanka’ to participate in the league.
Documents proving T-10 league was sanctioned by ECB in 2017.
Documents showing T-10 league was part of Future Tour Programme’s of SLC.
As soon as Avishka asked for this basic information and documents in order to prepare himself for the hearing, ICC officials were disappeared.
In last three and half months, ICC has not provided a single document to Avishka, even after many promises. Even though, the concerned ICC officials promised Avishka many times to provide the documents, nothing has been sent till date.
Most surprisingly, the ICC is that much reluctant to disclose it’s agreement with ECB, in regards to said T-10 league, it raises several questions.
Interestingly, ICC Anti-corruptionunit has already established a office in Colombo and it’s officials have turned Sri Lanka into a laboratory, where they are doing all sort of experiments. Still, they are keeping Avishka Gunawardene in guess since more than months, even though the former Sri Lanka opener is ready to fight the case and is ready for hearing!
