Vincentian among two questioned over T20 cricket match at the…

Acting Police Commissioner Don McKenzie has confirmed that two persons including a Vincentian national were taken into custody over the weekend for questioning in connection with betting in the T20 cricket match at the National Stadium in Queen’s Park between England and The West Indies.

The island’s chief cop spoke to THE NEW TODAY following reports that police had detained some non-nationals in the River Road area within the vicinity of the stadium and were questioning them about aiding and abetting persons in the commission of the offense of illegal betting pertaining to the two T20 matches played in Grenada.

 “…We had two persons in custody – one Vincentian and a Grenadian accused of illegal betting. They were dealt with by Cricket West Indies and released,” he said.

“The Vincentian was referred to Immigration regarding his immigration status and he was cleared,” he added.

When contacted Sports Minister Ron Redhead said he had not been informed about the incident.

The local CWC Director Dwain Gill also said that the matter was not reported to him but that the regional cricket bosses have someone who deals directly with such reports about possible match-fixing in cricket matches.

“I can’t speak to it because it has not been brought to my attention but there is an anti-corruption person at CWI so it could be in his hands,” he said.

According to Gill, betting on cricket matches takes place all the time and is not illegal in Grenada.

However, he said the matter takes on a different dimension when it involves those syndicates in Asia who engage in questionable activities.

“That (betting) is normal in games,” he told THE NEW TODAY as opposed to what he referred to as “spot fixing.”

The former President of the Grenada Cricket Association (GCA) pointed out that in some of the T20 cricket matches around the world “that we stream …. we have had instances where people were brought in but it is not illegal so they can’t be charged.”

Gill said it is different as there are betting agencies especially in Asia who get local people to give them information about a game.

“In the venue (it) is an issue but it is not illegal.  The people that have the betting agencies – they get information from people in the ground (to) try to provide information to people in Asia and that is not allowed in the game,” he remarked.

West Indies won the 1st of the 2 T20 matches in St George’s by 10 runs while the tourists won the other by se wickets.

England are still 2-1 down in the 5-match series with two left to play in Trinidad & Tobago.

In November, it was announced that former West Indies test batsman Jamaican Marlon Samuels has been banned from all cricket for six years by the ICC after he was found guilty of corrupt behaviour during the Abu Dhabi T10 in 2019, where he was part of the Karnataka Tuskers but did not play.

An independent tribunal found Samuels guilty on four counts, including accepting favours that brought himself and the game into disrepute and concealing information from the investigating authorities. He had been punished for a similar offence 15 years ago.

The ICC conducts all investigations into breaches made in cricket matches and they found Samuels had made four of them.