Ex-Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor: I was cornered, blackmailed

Former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor on Monday said is facing a multiyear ban from the ICC for failing to report a corrupt approach by an Indian businessman and also claimed that he was blackmailed after ldquofoolishlyrdquo taking cocaine during that meetingIn a detailed confession on social media Taylor claimed that he was invited by the businessman to India to discuss ldquosponsorshipsrdquo and potential launch of a T20 event in Zimbabwe besides an offer of USD 15000 in October 2019 He did not name the businessman in questionlsquoI was scaredrsquoldquoWe had drinks and during the course of the evening they openly offered me cocaine which they themselves engaged in and I foolishly took the bait Irsquove gone over it a million times since and still feel sick to my stomach reliving that night and how they played merdquo Taylor wroteldquoThe following morning the same men stormed into my hotel room and showed me a video taken of me the night before doing cocaine and told me that if I did not spot fix at international matches for them the video would be released to the public I was cornered And with six of these individuals in my hotel room I was scared for my own safety Irsquod fallen for it Irsquod willingly walked into a situation that has changed my life foreverrdquoThe 35yearold who played 205 ODIs 34 Tests and 45 T20s before retiring last year now expects the ICC to ban him for not reporting the incident back then The gamersquos governing body is yet to comment on the matterldquothe timing was such that we hadnrsquot been paid for six months by Zimbabwe cricket and it was questionable whether Zimbabwe would be able to continue playing in the international arenardquo he said while trying to give his reasons for accepting the offer The Harareborn cricket said he was blackmailed ldquopost dinner and drinksrdquoBCCI ACU seek detailsBCCIrsquos AntiCorruption Unit chief Shabir Hussein Shekhadam Khandwawala told PTI ldquoif the incident happened in India we would like to know the details and if he has spoken to the ICC we will seek the details from the global body As of now no one has contacted us but we would like to know more about the issuerdquoTaylor said he was also given a part payment to spot fix matches ldquoI was handed the USD 15000 but was told this was now a lsquodepositrsquo for spot fixing and that an additional USD 20000 would be paid once the lsquojobrsquo was completeldquoI 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 thereldquoWhen 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 medicationmdashamitriptylinerdquoTaylor decided to report the incident to the ICC four months later and said he delayed it to protect his family ldquoThe lsquobusinessmanrsquo wanted a return on his investment which I could not and would not give It took me 4 months to report this offence and interaction to the ICClsquoGenuine fearrsquoldquoI acknowledge this was too long of a time but I thought I could protect everyone and in particular my family I approached the ICC on my own terms and hoped that if I explained my predicament my genuine fear for our safety and wellbeing that they would understand the delayldquoUnfortunately they did not but I cannot feign ignorance in this regard I have attended many anticorruption seminars over the years and we know that time is of the essence when making reportsrdquoTaylor insisted that he has never been involved in any wrongdoing on the field ldquoI would like to place on record that I have never been involved in any form of match fixing I may be many things but I am not a cheat My love for the beautiful game of cricket far outweighs and surpasses any threats which could be thrown my wayldquoAs a result of approaching the ICC I attended multiple interviews and engagements and was as honest and transparent as I could be during their investigations Inside and outside I was beating myself up and I still wish I had sought support and advice earlier for a multitude of reasonsGoing to rehab centre nowldquoThat being said the ICC are taking the decision to impose a multiyear ban on my international cricketing career I humbly accept this decision and only hope that my story will be used as a means of encouragement for cricketers to report any approaches earlyrdquoTaylor will also be spending time in a rehab centre to get his life back on trackldquoAnd so I would also like to let you know that on Tuesday the 25th of January I am checking into a rehabilitation centre to get clean and to get my life back on trackldquoI have to tell my story now because I know people will want to hear from me To try and understand what led to this point But for many weeks I will be away and trying to get betterldquoTo end I need to let you know I am sorry for those I have hurt I am sorry for those I have let downrdquo he addedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever