Zimbabwe Captain Match Fixing: HEART-WRENCHING statement by Brendan Taylor on ‘how he was lured into MATCH-FIXING’

Zimbabwe Captain Match Fixing – Brendan Taylor HEART-WRENCHING statement: Former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor has revealed in a gut-wrenching statement that he was cornered by an Indian businessman and his associates to fix a match. Taylor, fearing the safety of his family, did not report the incident to the ICC, and is set to be handed a two-year ban from international cricket as a result. The 35-year-old will be entering rehabilitation having suffered from substance abuse over the past two years. Follow Cricket News LIVE Updates on Insidesport.in.

Brendan Taylor Episode Explained: In a detailed statement on social media, Taylor admitted to taking a $15,000 bribe and the use of cocaine in a meeting with an Indian businessman.

Taylor said that while he had doubts and always has respect for the game, the financial troubles at Zimbabwe Cricket Association meant that he hadn’t received his dues in six months.

Taylor further said he also had doubts that whether the team would be able to play international cricket.

The meeting happened in 2019, with Taylor invited under the guise of discussing “sponsorships and the potential launch of a T20 competition in Zimbabwe and was advised that I would be paid USD$15 000 for the journey” in October 2019.

During the meeting he was offered cocaine alongside drinks and foolishly took the bait, with the same men using the video to coerce him into fixing.

He wrote, “I was handed the USD$15,000 but was told this was now a ‘deposit’ for spot match fixing and that an additional USD$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 antipsychotic medication – maitriptyline.”

It took Taylor four months to report the incident to the ICC. Taylor hoped that the ICC understood his predicament but would be willing to accept any decision that came his way.

Further, Taylor revealed that he would be checking into a rehabilitation centre to get his life back on track.

Taylor wrote, “I owe it to myself and to my family to get clean and to put them first. I have let substance take control of me and impair my vision, my morals and my values and it is time that I prioritise what really matters. I had not realised that coming forward and talking would give me so much relief from the hell I have found myself in for years. Drugs and narcotics do not discriminate and it took all that I have to admit that I have a problem. To end I need to let you know I am sorry for those I have hurt. I am sorry for those I have let down.”