Board offers support to banned Samuels

	Marlon Samuels' future is in doubt after he was handed a two-year ban by the WICB © AFP

Having brought Marlon Samuels' cricket career to a halt for two years, at least, effective from Friday, May 9, the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) is now offering the player support. WICB chief executive Dr Donald Peters said: "I have written to Mr Samuels and offered him all the help needed to get his life in order."

On Monday, the WICB announced that Samuels, the 27-year-old Jamaica and West Indies middle order batsman, had been found guilty of violating the ICC Rules of Conduct 4 ix, which involves receiving money, benefit or other reward which could bring him or the game of cricket into disrepute. The charge does not refer to match-fixing, which carries a lifetime ban.

The judgement by the WICB's disciplinary committee, headed by Justice Adrian Saunders and including Dr Lloyd Barnett, Prof Aubrey Bishop and former West Indies captain Richie Richardson, came out of an incident on the West Indies tour of India in January 2007, when there were allegations Samuels had passed on match information ahead of the ODI in Nagpur on January 21 and then received payment for a hotel stay in Mumbai at the end of the tour.

In handing down their judgement, the disciplinary committee stated that "given the circumstances that attended Mr. Samuels' commission of the offence and in light of the unchallenged evidence we received as to Mr. Samuels' character, if we had the power so to recommend, we would have recommended that Mr. Samuels be bound over to be of good behaviour for a period not exceeding two years."

Responding to those comments yesterday, Dr Peters told the Express: "The players know what the penalties are. We are part of the ICC and we gave our word to uphold the code of ethics. Our hands were basically tied."

However, asked whether he felt Samuels had been naive in his actions, Peters replied: "Yes ... we in the West Indies have no experience of match-fixing. Players are not exposed to that kind of behaviour. It's unfortunate that when they travel overseas, they are confronted with the spectre of match-fixing and one out of 15 will most likely get in trouble unless they are trained and counselled."

Peters indicated that he was going to speak last night to the players assembling in Antigua for a training camp ahead of the three-Test series against Australia starting next Thursday, "to remind them of how dangerous it is to be out there".

Commenting further on the banning of one of the region's most talented batsmen, who was the leading player on last year's tour of South Africa, Peters was empathetic. "I personally am very moved by it. He is a very young player. He came face to face with very bad people in the match fixing industry, so it's unfortunate."

In a radio interview with Irie FM in Jamaica, Samuels reportedly said he would still be proceeding to the West Indies training camp. But Peters denied that would be happening. "I have no idea why he would say that," he said.

The ICC also confirmed that Samuels had been banned for two years from May 9. Acting CEO Dave Richardson said: "We are yet to see the whole judgement to put the matter of the punishment into its proper context but we note the WICB disciplinary committee found the player guilty and has imposed an immediate ban. In terms of the punishment handed down, minimum penalties were agreed by the ICC board, including all Full Members, and they reflect the seriousness of the issues at hand."

The ICC also made clear that Samuels' ban would encompass all forms of cricket, saying it would include official Cricket (Tests, ODIs, T20Is, first-class matches and List A matches organised by or under the auspices of the ICC or its Members) and unofficial cricket (cricket within ICC members not falling into the above categories that is granted approval by either the ICC or the relevant board).

The ICC will now take up the matter through an official enquiry by their Code of Conduct Commission headed by Michael Beloff QC and two other ICC Code of Conduct Commissioners. They will review the WICB disciplinary committee findings to ascertain whether the punishment is sufficient and make any recommendation necessary to the ICC board's July meeting in Dubai.