Former Australia fast bowler Trent Copeland expressed disappointment over Marlon Samuels’ conviction on corruption charges, but added that such events are simply unsurprising. Samuels was a former West Indies cricketer.
Following a hearing by an impartial Anti-Corruption Tribunal, Samuels was found guilty of four violations of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB) anti-corruption code on August 16. Samuels was a member of the Karnataka Tuskers team in the 2019 season of the Abu Dhabi T10 competition, although he did not participate in any games.
The accusations centre on failing to report the receipt of a money or gift, failing to report it to the designated anti-corruption officer, failing to participate with an inquiry, and delaying it by withholding information that would have been important.
“What I do know is how common this stuff is. This is everywhere. We’re talking hundreds of millions of dollars. Think about the WBBL in Australia or the women’s domestic league. There are hundreds of millions of dollars bet every year, particularly in India, on these matches.”
“When we’re talking about corruption in cricket, we are talking about some of the highest levels of corruption in world sport. They approach the most vulnerable players, Marlon Samuels… he’s on the junket tour, not playing, he is the perfect candidate for something like that.”
“The failing to disclose, people might say how innocuous… but the reason these penalties are harsh… is so there is zero faith lost in the integrity of the sport. Disappointing that Marlon Samuels has been found guilty, but I’m not surprised, put it like that,” said Copeland on SEN Radio.
After participating in 71 Tests, 207 ODIs, and 67 T20 Internationals for the West Indies, Samuels announced his retirement in November 2020. His most notable accomplishment was leading all scorers in the Men’s T20 World Cup finals in 2012 and 2016, which significantly contributed to the West Indies’ victories in those tournaments.
Copeland revealed he too was offered many times to disclose information for betting purposes. “I’ve been approached hundreds of times via DM. ‘Tell us the team’, ‘what’s the pitch like’, things like that, particularly when I was in international cricket.”
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“But even in recent times. Even now when I’m a commentator at venues, people are after inside information that’s not yet public. Long may this (Samuels’) sort of ban continue. If this stuff is still going on, it needs to be stamped out, so more of it.”
-IANS
