Zimbabwe's Brendan Taylor admits Indian bookies approached him; says ICC will impose multi-year ban

Brendan Taylor is a former Zimbabwean skipper. He retired from international cricket last year. However, he revealed that he had been approached for corruption and delayed reporting to ICC.

Former Zimbabwean skipper Brendan Taylor has landed in trouble months after retiring from international cricket. In a recent revelation, he has admitted to a corrupt approach from an Indian businessman, besides further accepting that he delayed reporting the same to the International Cricket Council (ICC). As a result, he now faces a multi-year ban from the global body.

In his report, Taylor mentioned that it was in India when he had met an Indian businessman in October 2019, where he was involved in substance abuse. Later, he was blackmailed by the man who threatened to ruin his career by releasing the video of the Zimbabwean taking consuming cocaine. Instead, he was asked to spot fix and was offered $15,000 that he took to flee from the country, while it was a future deposit for the fixing.

"It took me four months to report this offence and interaction to the ICC. I acknowledge this was too long of a time, but I thought I could protect everyone and, in particular, my family. I approached the ICC on my terms, and I hoped that if I explained my predicament, my genuine fear for our safety and wellbeing, they would understand the delay," Taylor wrote in his statement.

"I will admit that the past two years have been incredibly challenging, both personally and professionally and it is from absolute rock bottom that I am trying to climb out of this mess I made. My family and friends have been incredibly supportive of me and it is clear to me now that I have a much bigger problem which for some time has needed addressing," Taylor added.

"l owe it to myself and my family to get clean and to put them first. I have let a substance take control of me and impair my vision, my morals and my values, and it is time that I prioritise what matters," Taylor concluded. However, the ICC has yet to comment on the entire issue. Also, the investigation and the decision are expected to be announced in due course.

Taylor played for Zimbabwe between 2004-21 before being appointed the skipper in 2011. After leading the side in the ICC World Cup 2015 in Australia and New Zealand, he retired from Zimbabwe cricket to sign a Kolpak deal with Nottinghamshire, willing to relocate to England. However, after a couple of years, he was released from his agreement and returned to Zimbabwe before retiring two years later.