ECB charges Vincent, Arif under anti-corruption code

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has charged former Sussex players Lou Vincent and Naveed Arif under its Anti-Corruption code, the ruling body said on Thursday.

Former New Zealand batsman Vincent has been charged with 14 offences relating to two Sussex matches in August 2011 - a Twenty20 game against Lancashire and a 40-over clash with Kent.

Pakistani Arif has been charged with six offences relating to the Kent game.

Both players have been provisionally suspended from all cricket activities organised by the sport's governing bodies and they could be banned for life if they are found guilty of match-fixing.

It would be the first proven case of the result of an English county game being fixed.

“This has been an extremely complex and lengthy investigation co-ordinated across many jurisdictions around the world," Chris Watts, head of ECB’s Anti-Corruption unit, said in a statement.

"This matter is now the subject of formal legal proceedings and we will therefore make no further comment other than to re-iterate our determination to bring to account the very small minority who seek to corrupt cricket.”

ECB chief executive David Collier added: “The ECB’s ACCESS unit has worked tirelessly in conjunction with the ICC’s ACSU to bring about these charges, which once again demonstrates the ECB’s zero tolerance approach to corruption in our great game.”

The 35-year-old Vincent, who played 23 tests and more than 100 one-day internationals for New Zealand, has given evidence to the International Cricket Council about his involvement in match-fixing in five countries.

Image: Lou Vincent

Photograph: Duif du Toit/Gallo Images/Getty Images