The International Cricket Council on Tuesday announced that it has suspended Treasurer and Marketing Director of the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association Rajan Nayer from all cricket activity for 20 years after he accepted a charge of breaching the cricket body’s Anti-Corruption Code.

Nayer was charged with three offences, which included offering Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer $30,000 to fix matches. Nayer accepted the charge of 2.1.4. Graeme Cremer said: “I was appalled to be approached by someone so closely connected to the game and there was no doubt in my mind that I had to report it as soon as I could. We receive education around this which you never expect to have to use, but it certainly helped when it came to knowing what to do.”

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“I think it is important that corrupters receive strong sanctions as it sends out a message to others who might consider getting involved. For any cricketer who might find themselves in my position, my message is really simple – report it. The ICC will take any report seriously and will deal with you professionally and with respect. If we are to kick corruption out of the game, we must all play our part.”

Alex Marshall, General Manager of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit said: “I welcome the result of the investigation and the substantial sanction imposed upon Nayer. It is important that the seriousness of his offences were reflected in the length of ban. I would like to place on record my thanks to Graeme Cremer, who has acted with the utmost professionalism throughout this process.”

“Immediately after he received the approach from Nayer he reported it to the ICC and we were able to get an investigation underway swiftly. Graeme has been involved and updated throughout the investigation and has played a critical role in ensuring that corruption has no place in our sport. I would also like to extend my thanks to Zimbabwe Cricket with whom we have worked closely throughout the investigation.”