The Importance Of Early Reporting & Preserving Evidence: Lessons From The Brendan Taylor Cricket Corruption Case  

On 28 January 2022, the International Cricket Council (ICC) published two decisions relating to Brendan Taylor1, a former member of Zimbabwe’s national cricket team, banning him from all forms of cricket for three-and-a-half years. Mr Taylor accepted four charges of breaching corruption regulations under the ICC’s 2018 Anti-Corruption Code for Participants (Code)2, and a separate charge of doping under the ICC Anti-Doping Code3.

The Taylor case is a stark reminder that even those cricketers who self-report themselves to the ICC still stand to receive heavy penalties in circumstances where corruption is identified, and the importance of the preservation of mobile communications with third parties in allowing the ICC to properly investigate possible misconduct. The case also underscores the environment for corruption which can exist in less well-resourced cricketing nations and the need for the ICC to tackle the problems associated with poor financial incentives provided to players.