A player who attempted to fix aspects of matches in the T10 League in Sharjah, and whose lawyer termed the ICC a “den of thieves”, has been banned from the sport for eight years.
Dilhara Lokuhettige, the former Sri Lanka international, was earlier this year found guilty of attempting to “fix or contrive or otherwise influence improperly” matches at the 2017 T10.
Three months later, he has been handed a sanction which the ICC believe “should serve as a deterrent for anyone considering getting involved in corruption of any kind”.
The sanction will be backdated to April 2019, when he was first suspended, meaning he will be ineligible to return until 2027, by which time he will be 46.
“Having represented Sri Lanka in international cricket, Dilhara had attended a number of anti-corruption education sessions and would have known his actions were a breach of the code,” Alex Marshall, the ICC’s head of integrity, said.
“The severity of the sanction reflects the seriousness of his offences and his continued refusal to cooperate and should serve as a deterrent for anyone considering getting involved in corruption of any kind.”
Lokuhettige was found guilty of three breaches of the sport’s anti-corruption code in January, offences which included trying to induced an unnamed Sri Lankan international player to fix aspects of the T10.
The guilty verdict was unusual among the spate of recent corruption cases in the sport in that it was arrived at by a majority, rather than unanimous, decision by the three-man tribunal.
The difference of opinion centred on whether Lokuhettige could be considered to be under the ICC’s jurisdiction as a “participant in cricket”. He had no official involvement in the T10, as either a player, coach, or official.
After the judgement was announced in January, a management agency purporting to represent Lokuhettige posted footage of a press conference in which his then lawyer said: “We have evidence on ICC ACU, it is a den of thieves.
“Do not let ICC, which is a multinational company, harass Sri Lankan players.”
The ICC believed the comments to be emblematic of a lack of remorse on the player’s part, according to the sanction report.
“That lack of remorse has been compounded by the approach he has taken in these proceedings,” the report said
“Especially the making of [or permitting his counsel to make] very serious, highly improper and totally unsubstantiated allegations about the conduct of the ICC ACU, and public comments outside of these proceedings, in breach of the code’s provisions relating to confidentiality.”
Lokuhettige pleaded for clemency from the tribunal, citing “the devastating past and future financial impact” of his offences.
He has three children, aged 12, 7 and 5, and says he has not worked since being suspended from cricket. The family’s main source of income is his wife’s job in catering for a government geriatrics’ hospital.
The tribunal acknowledged his offences “go the very core of the fundamental sporting imperatives that underpin the code,” which in appropriate cases, “could mean a lifetime ban from the sport”.
However, it decided against the maximum sanction, saying it was “persuaded that the key factors relied on by way of mitigation in Mr Lokuhettige’s case are well founded.
“It accepts that attempts in principle under governing English law warrant lower penalties than completed acts,” the report stated.
“[Also] that Mr Lokuhettige did not in the end personally benefit from his offences, that his approach to [the player] was relatively unsophisticated, and his general financial background and circumstances made him vulnerable to corrupt approaches.”
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
EXPATS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Lulu%20Wang%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStars%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Nicole%20Kidman%2C%20Sarayu%20Blue%2C%20Ji-young%20Yoo%2C%20Brian%20Tee%2C%20Jack%20Huston%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%204%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Company profile
Name: Infinite8
Based: Dubai
Launch year: 2017
Number of employees: 90
Sector: Online gaming industry
Funding: $1.2m from a UAE angel investor
The biog
Favourite hobby: I love to sing but I don’t get to sing as much nowadays sadly.
Favourite book: Anything by Sidney Sheldon.
Favourite movie: The Exorcist 2. It is a big thing in our family to sit around together and watch horror movies, I love watching them.
Favourite holiday destination: The favourite place I have been to is Florence, it is a beautiful city. My dream though has always been to visit Cyprus, I really want to go there.
Specs
Engine: 51.5kW electric motor
Range: 400km
Power: 134bhp
Torque: 175Nm
Price: From Dh98,800
Available: Now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
match info
Southampton 2 (Ings 32' & pen 89') Tottenham Hotspur 5 (Son 45', 47', 64', & 73', Kane 82')
Man of the match Son Heung-min (Tottenham)
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Moving%20Out%202
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The Outsider
Stephen King, Penguin
Racecard
6.35pm: American Business Council – Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 (Dirt) 1,600m
7.10pm: British Business Group – Maiden (TB) Dh82,500 (D) 1,200m
7.45pm: CCI France UAE – Handicap (TB) Dh87,500 (D) 1,400m
8.20pm: Czech Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh105,000 (D) 1,400m
8.55pm: Netherlands Business Council – Rated Conditions (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,600m
9.30pm: Indian Business and Professional Council – Handicap (TB) Dh95,000 (D) 1,200m
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
In Search of Mary Shelley: The Girl Who Wrote Frankenstein
By Fiona Sampson
Profile
Guns N’ Roses’s last gig before Abu Dhabi was in Hong Kong on November 21. We were there – and here’s what they played, and in what order. You were warned.
- It’s So Easy
- Mr Brownstone
- Chinese Democracy
- Welcome to the Jungle
- Double Talkin’ Jive
- Better
- Estranged
- Live and Let Die (Wings cover)
- Slither (Velvet Revolver cover)
- Rocket Queen
- You Could Be Mine
- Shadow of Your Love
- Attitude (Misfits cover)
- Civil War
- Coma
- Love Theme from The Godfather (movie cover)
- Sweet Child O’ Mine
- Wichita Lineman (Jimmy Webb cover)
- Wish You Were Here (instrumental Pink Floyd cover)
- November Rain
- Black Hole Sun (Soundgarden cover)
- Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door (Bob Dylan cover)
- Nightrain
Encore:
- Patience
- Don’t Cry
- The Seeker (The Who cover)
- Paradise City
MATCH INFO
World Cup 2022 qualifier
UAE v Indonesia, Thursday, 8pm
Venue: Al Maktoum Stadium, Dubai
Autumn international scores
Saturday, November 24
Italy 3-66 New Zealand
Scotland 14-9 Argentina
England 37-18 Australia
