A few days from now, the name Brendan Taylor will appear only occasionally in newspapers, if at all. Taylor is a former cricket captain of Zimbabwe, and he’s just done the sport a great service. It requires a conscience that is alive and kicking, and asking questions of you, to admit to the world that you were in a mess, in wrong company.
What Taylor has also exposed, in the process, is the fact that match-fixing in cricket still exists. The fixers, mostly headquartered in the Indian subcontinent, can quickly turn into bullies who, after realising the player has been trapped in their web, will extract their pound of flesh.
Taylor’s confession has also brought to light what most people already knew, or at the very least, suspected: not only international cricket, fixers are equally keen on the major and minor T20 and T10 leagues across the world. Who monitors these leagues? Who controls access to players? The statement In Taylor’s case, he was approached by an Indian ‘businessman’ in 2019, lured into snorting cocaine, and blackmailed and bullied to fix matches.
Here’s the edited version of statement put out by the Zimbabwean: “To my friends, family, supporters and wider public. I’ve been carrying a burden for over two years now that has sadly taken me to some very dark places and had a profound effect on my mental health. And I’ve only recently managed to start sharing my story with close friends and family and receive the love and support I guess I was too ashamed and frightened to seek in the first place. This may not make for comfortable reading but I would like to make a statement regarding a finding made by the ICC, which is soon to be released. In late October 2019, I was approached by an Indian businessman requesting that I attend India to discuss sponsorships and the potential launch of a T20 competition in Zimbabwe and was advised that I would be paid US$ 15,000 to make the journey. I can’t deny I was a little wary. But the timing was such that we hadn’t been paid for six months by Zimbabwe cricket and it was questionable whether Zimbabwe would be able to continue playing in the international arena. So I made the journey. The discussions took place, as he had said, and on our last night in the hotel, the businessman and his colleagues took me for a celebratory dinner. We had drinks and during the course of the evening they openly offered me cocaine, which they themselves engaged in, and I foolishly took the bait. I’ve gone over it a million times since and still feel sick to my stomach reliving that night and how they played me. The following morning, the same men stormed into my hotel room and showed me a video taken of me the night before doing cocaine and told me that if I did not spot fix at international matches for them, the video would be released to the public. I was cornered. And with six of these individuals in my hotel room, I was scared for my own safety. I’d fallen for it. I’d willingly walked into a situation that has changed my life forever. I was handed the US$ 15,000 but was told this was now a ‘deposit’ for spot-fixing and that an additional US$ 20,000 would be paid once the ‘job’ was complete. I took the money so I could get on a plane and leave India. I felt I had no choice at the time because saying no was clearly not an option. All I knew was I had to get out of there. When I returned home, the stress of what had taken place severely impacted my mental and physical health. I was a mess. I was diagnosed with shingles and prescribed strong anti-psychotic medication - amitriptyline. The ‘businessman’ wanted a return on his investment which I could not and would not give. It took me four months to report this offence and interaction to the ICC. I acknowledge this was too long of a time but thought I could protect everyone and in particular, my family. I approached the ICC on my own terms and hoped that if I explained my predicament, my genuine fear for our safety and wellbeing, they would understand the delay. I would like to place on record that I have never been involved in any form of match-fixing.
I may be many things but I am not a cheat. My love for the beautiful game of cricket far outweighs and surpasses any threats which could be thrown my way. 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.
And so, I would also like to let you know that on Tuesday the 25th of January I am checking into a rehabilitation centre to get clean and to get my life back on track. I have to tell my story now because I know people will want to hear from me.
To try and understand what led to this point. But for many weeks I will be away and trying to get better. -- Brendan Taylor.”
The T20 and T10 leagues are now the reality of the cricketing world. These juggernauts cannot be stopped. And not every player will have the conscience of Brendan Taylor. Hence, remember his name when you read about more such scenarios.
(The writer is Executive Editor, The Free Press Journal)
