by Our Sports Desk

Former New Zealand cricketer Lou Vincent has been handed a life ban after he admitted that he breached the England and Wales Cricket Board’s anti-corruption regulations.

The 35-year-old, who played at Sussex in 2011 and was under investigation by the ECB, pleaded guilty to 18 breaches of the regulations in total, four of those breaches related to a Twenty20 match between Lancashire and Durham in June 2008.

The remaining 14 charges related to two matches played at Hove in August 2011, namely a Sussex v Lancashire Twenty20 match and a Sussex v Kent CB40 match.

The ECB confirmed yesterday morning that Vincent has accepted an agreed sanction of a life ban from all forms of cricket, in the form of concurrent life bans for each of the 11 offences which carried a life ban.

ECB chief executive David Collier said: “This has been a complex case which has crossed different cricketing jurisdictions and required close collaboration and intelligence-sharing between both our own anti-corruption unit, other domestic boards and the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit.

“We are extremely pleased that the matter has now been brought to a satisfactory conclusion and that an individual who repeatedly sought to involve others in corrupt activity for his own personal gain has accepted that his conduct warrants a lifetime ban from cricket.

“It once again highlights our resolve to keep cricket clean and rid the game of the tiny minority who seek to undermine the sport’s integrity.”

The terms of Vincent’s ban will prevent him from playing, coaching or participating in any form of cricket which is recognised or sanctioned by ECB, the International Cricket Council (ICC) or any other National Cricket Federation.

Yesterday morning, Vincent broke his silence and admitted in a statement released to the New Zealand media that he was a cheat.

He admitted his involvement in match-fixing while playing in limited-overs cricket for Lancashire and Sussex and also confessed to the ICC’s anti-corruption unit of fixing in the Indian Cricket League and while playing for the Auckland Aces in the Twenty20 Champions League in South Africa two years ago.

In a statement released to New Zealand media, Vincent took full responsibility for his actions and said he would accept his punishment.

“My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat,” the statement began.

“I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money in fixing.

“I have lived with this dark secret for so many years but months ago I reached the point where I decided I had to come forward and tell the truth.”