ICC bans former Zimbabwe official Ikope for 10 years

MUMBAI: Former Zimbabwe Cricket director Enock Ikope has been banned for 10 years by the International Cricket Council for breaching three counts of ICC's anti-corruption code, the governing body said on Wednesday.

Ikope was provisionally suspended last year after being charged under ICC's Article 2.4.6 and Article 2.4.7, which includes offences such as refusing to co-operate, delaying and obstruction of an investigation into possible corruption by the Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU).

He was the second official from the Harare Metropolitan Cricket Association to be penalised by the ICC after Rajan Nayer was banned from all cricket activities for 20 years for offering Zimbabwe captain Graeme Cremer $30,000 to fix a match.

The ICC said Ikope was banned by the ICC anti-corruption tribunal for five years in respect of each breach. The first two of the five-year periods of ineligibility will run concurrently, with the penalty for the third breach to run consecutively.

"We welcome this decision and the substantial sanction imposed on Mr Ikope which reflects the gravity of the offences," ICC general manager (ACU) Alex Marshall said in a statement.

"Non-cooperation and obstruction of our investigations by participants to the Code are simply not acceptable and I hope this and other recent sanctions sends out a clear message to anyone involved in the sport."