Fast-bowling allrounder Javon Searles, Titans team owner Chitranjan Rathod and team official Trevon Griffith, have been provisionally suspended from all cricket, after being charged with breaches of anti-corruption codes relating to the 2023–24 Bim10 tournament in Barbados.
The charges were brought by the ICC and Cricket West Indies under their respective anti-corruption codes. All three individuals face charges linked to the Bim10 tournament, which is under the jurisdiction of the CWI anti-corruption code. Griffith has also been charged with an additional offence relating to international matches under the ICC anti-corruption code.
Rathod faces three charges under the CWI code and Searles four, while Griffith faces four charges under the CWI code and one under the ICC code.
The trio has been charged with:
Breach of Article 2.1.1 of the CWI code: fixing, contriving to fix or otherwise influencing improperly, or being a party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or other aspect of matches in the Bim10 tournament in 2023–24 (or attempting to do so).
Breach of Article 2.1.4 of the CWI code: soliciting, instructing, encouraging or facilitating Players and/or Player Support Personnel to commit offences under the CWI code.
Breach of Article 2.4.4 of the CWI code: failing or refusing to cooperate with a reasonable investigation carried out by the designated anti-corruption official (or his/her designee) in relation to possible offences under the CWI code.
Searles and Griffith have additionally been charged with Breach of Article 2.4.2 of the CWI code, which relates to “failing to disclose to Cricket West Indies details of any approaches or invitations to engage in conduct that would amount to a breach of the CWI code”.
Griffith faces a further charge under the Article 2.4.7 of the ICC’s code for allegedly “obstructing the ACU’s investigation into possible corrupt conduct by concealing and/or tampering with information that may have been relevant to the investigation, or which may have constituted evidence or led to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct”.
All three have 14 days from March 11 to respond to the charges.
The ICC said in a statement that these charges form part of a broader investigation that earlier saw USA batter Aaron Jones being charged with five breaches of the ICC and CWI anti-corruption codes.
The ICC added that it would make no further comment while disciplinary proceedings were ongoing.
Searles has represented West Indies Under-19s, and played for Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL from 2014–19. He also featured in the IPL, for Kolkata Knight Riders, in 2018.
(ESPN CRICINFO)
