Wicketkeeper  batsman  batsman  Devon  Thomas   will  be  missing  from  the  West  Indies  squad  which  is  schedule  to  depart  the  region  later  this  week  for  a  three  match  One  Day  International  series  in  the  United Arab Emirates.

This  as  he  has  been  suspended  by  the  ICC and  slapped    with  seven charges under  the  ICC  Anti-corruption code  including “contriving to fix” matches. 

The  33  year  old  Thomas   has 14 days to respond……………the charges   are with regard to his conduct while playing in three franchise-based tournaments…… the Lanka Premier League , the Abu Dhabi T/10 and the Caribbean Premier League.

The ICC  says   Thomas had breached the anti-corruption codes at all three tournaments and its anti-corruption unit had been authorized by all three boards in question – Sri Lanka cricket , Emirates Cricket Board and Cricket West Indies  – to conduct the investigation on their behalf.

A statement  from cricket West  Indies  says  it  would fully support the anti-corruption unit’s  investigation and that it was resolute about “denouncing corruption” in cricket.

The most serious charge against Thomas -of attempting to fix a match – is from the 2021 edition of the Lanka Premier  League   when he played for Kandy Warriors…….. Incidentally, Thomas played just one game in that edition of the IPL. 

Overall, Thomas faced four charges under the Sri-Lanka Cricket anti-corruption code on his conduct in that tournament. 

The four charges are of “contriving or being party to an agreement to fix or attempt to fix, contrive or influence improperly the result, progress, conduct or other aspects of matches”, “failing to disclose […] full details of an approach” to the ACU, “failing or refusing, without compelling justification, to Cooperate” in an ACU investigation, and “obstructing or delaying” the investigation by “concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information”.

Thomas also faced a single charge under the Emirates Cricket  Board  code for failing to disclose details of an approach made to indulge in corrupt conduct during the 2021 edition of  the  Abu Dhabi T/10, when he was a part of the Pune Devils team.

The remaining two charges are from the last two editions of the CPL when he played for St Kitts & Nevis Patriots and Barbados royals, respectively. one of the charges concerns, again, failing to disclose an approach. 

The second charge is about failing to report the “receipt of any gift, payment, hospitality or benefit (A) that he knew or should have known was made in order to procure a breach of the CPL code, or (B) could have brought the player or the game of cricket into disrepute”.

Thomas last played for West Indies in the day-night Adelaide test against Australia in December 2022, his only appearance in the format.