Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama has been handed a one-year ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for failing to report a match-fixing proposal made to him by a bookmaker. The ban also comes with allegations that he failed to provide information about another player receiving a similar approach and for attempting to obstruct the investigation by deleting messages related to the incident.
The ICC imposed the ban on Jayawickrama on Monday, September 30th, coinciding with his 26th birthday. Two days later, the cricket governing body officially announced the sanction. Although the ban is for a year, the final six months have been suspended. If Jayawickrama does not violate any further ICC anti-corruption policies, he will be eligible to return to cricket on April 1, 2025.
In August, the ICC charged Jayawickrama with corruption, giving him 14 days to respond. Initially, he denied the charges but later admitted to his involvement. The accusations relate to the 2021 Lanka Premier League (LPL), where he received an approach to convince another player to participate in match-fixing activities. Jayawickrama not only failed to report the offer to the ICC but also deleted the related text messages, further complicating the investigation.
Additionally, Jayawickrama was approached by a friend with a proposal suggesting that once he made it to the national team, small actions, like bowling a deliberate “no ball,” could earn him significant money. While Jayawickrama did not accept the offer, he again failed to report it to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit.
Jayawickrama made his international debut in a Test match against Bangladesh in 2021 at Pallekele. His most recent Test appearance was in Mirpur, Bangladesh, in 2022, and he last played an international match against Australia later that year.
This case draws comparisons to a similar incident involving Bangladesh all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, who was banned in 2019 for failing to report match-fixing approaches.
