Former Sri Lanka cricketer Nuwan Zoysa has denied all the corruption charges International Cricket Council (ICU) had accused him of. He stated that the charges against him are ‘fallacious and cheap gimmick’ to tarnish his and his country’s reputation.
ICC has accused him of three offences and said Zoysa would remain suspended until punishment is given to him. The former cricketer has been serving suspension since October 2018. But on Thursday (November 19, 2020), ICC had found him guilty under Article 2.1.1, Article 2.1.4, and Article 2.4.4.
Zoysa was shocked soon after ICC’s announcement. He has alleged fault technicalities of the process, stating that the ICC which concluded its hearing on September 18 should have announced its decision within 30 days. Still, when it didn’t happen, he instructed his counsel to write to the ICC.
“It was shock for me when I was made aware that ICC had gone onto release a press statement saying that I have been found guilty of the charges that I have never committed,” the 42-year-old told reporters.
“It is a fallacious and cheap gimmick by the ICC to perform such an act intentionally to tarnish my reputation and the reputation of my beloved country,” said Nuwan Zoysa.
ICC had been on a “witch hunt” against Sri Lanka: Nuwan Zoysa’s lawyer
Nuwan Zoysa’s lawyer, Warnasuriya said the ICC had been on a “witch hunt” against Sri Lanka and that five other players were under investigation. He also said that the ICC investigators had spoken to him in English, which he failed to understand and claimed that he was not allowed to answer in his native Sinhala language.
“The ACU questioned Nuwan in English, a language he is not comfortable with, and did not allow him to speak in Sinhala. They wanted him to frame other players,” Warnasuriya said.
“After getting legal advice, Nuwan refused to implicate other players and that is when the ACU started going against him. There is a witch hunt against our players,” he added.
Nuwan Zoysa, who played in 30 Tests and 95 One-day Internationals before retiring in 2007. He was also appointed Sri Lanka’s bowling coach in September 2015.