European T10 League in big trouble after team suspended on corruption charges: Report

Limassol Gladiators, one of the five teams competing in the European Cricket Series Cyprus, have been suspended from the European T10 League following their match against Amdocs on Tuesday, July 21. The Limassol Gladiators have been suspended from the European T10 League, pending an anti-corruption investigation over match-fixing, after concerns were raised over suspicious behaviour. The situation leads to believe that Limassol Gladiators possibly abandoned their match against Amdocs during the innings break. 

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European T10 League corruption: European T10 League match-fixing

Reports also claim that one major betting company is refusing to pay out on the match, which was streamed on various platforms around the world. It is believed that a reported $2 million had been traded on the match solely on betting site, Betfair. However, with other markets - legal and illegal - included, that figure could be much more significant. This has also led to the entire European T10 League coming under heavy scrutiny.

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The suspicions of the ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) were first raised through suspicious betting patterns prior to the game. Amdocs, (a telecom company with a base in Cyprus) had not won a game in more than a year, but the market clearly had expectations for their success against the Limassol Gladiators. The Amdocs had twice conceded in excess of 100 runs in their recent games but the Gladiators were restricted to 79 for 4 in their 10 overs. 

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In response, Amdocs were struggling at 14 for 3 after two overs but some unbelievably poor bowling from the Gladiators led them to a stunning win in just 7.1 overs. One of those overs included six wides, with one of the deliveries going down the legside to the boundary. One of the traders spoke to ESPNcricinfo and explained that it was the "most blatant, unsubtle and stupid incident of fixing ever seen in cricket."

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European T10 team suspended: European T10 league corruption

The ICC have confirmed that their ACU is taking a close look at the match for potential match-fixing. In the meantime, the Limassol Gladiators will not be able to play any further part in European Cricket Network competitions. There is still no suggestion that the Amdocs players were aware of any of the potential wrongdoings. The ECN is yet to make any comment on the Limassol Gladiators v Amdocs match.

Image Credits- ICC.com