Bim10: ICC suspends player, two top officials on corruption charges
The ICC has provisionally suspended fast-bowling all-rounder Javon Searles and two people linked to a franchise for multiple breaches of the apex body’s anti-corruption codes during the 2023-24 Bim10 tournament in Barbados. Besides Searles, the ICC has suspended Titans team owner Chitranjan Rathod and team official Trevon Griffith from all cricket.
Bim10 was a fast-paced 10-over-per-innings tournament that featured six teams -- Voyagers, Guardians, Titans, Settlers, Warriors, and Pelicans. The tournament, which was last held in 2023-24, falls under the jurisdiction of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) anti-corruption code, and the charges were brought by the ICC and CWI under their respective anti-corruption codes. The trio have 14 days from March 11, 2026, to respond to the charges, the ICC said.
The charges involve match-fixing, soliciting players, and failing to report corrupt approaches to the anti-corruption officials.
Searles, who has represented West Indies Under-19s, played for Trinbago Knight Riders in the CPL, and also featured in the IPL for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2018, faces four charges under the CWI anti-corruption code. Rathod has been charged with facilitating corruption within his franchise, and Griffith also faces four charges under the CWI code and one under the ICC code, including allegedly obstructing the investigation by tampering with information. These charges are part of a larger, ongoing investigation into the 2023-24 edition of the tournament, which also previously involved suspended USA batter Aaron Jones being charged with five breaches.
All three have been charged with the following offences, as per ICC: Breach of Article 2.1.1 of the CWI Code - Fixing, contriving to fix or otherwise influencing improperly, or being a party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or other aspect of matches in the Bim10 tournament in 2023/24 (or attempting to do so).
Breach of Article 2.1.4 of the CWI Code - Soliciting, instructing, encouraging or facilitating Players and/or Player Support Personnel to commit offences under the CWI Code. Breach of Article 2.4.4 of the CWI Code - Failing or refusing to cooperate with a reasonable investigation carried out by the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (or his/her designee) in relation to possible offences under the CWI Code. Additionally, Searles and Giffith have also been charged with: Breach of Article 2.4.2 of the CWI Code - Failing to disclose to Cricket West Indies details of any approaches or invitations to engage in conduct that would amount to a breach of the CWI Code.
According to the ICC, Griffith has also been charged with: Breach of Article 2.4.7 of the ICC Code - Obstructing the ACU’s investigation into possible corrupt conduct by concealing and/or tampering with information that may have been relevant to the investigation, or which may have constituted evidence or led to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct.
