Hobart Hurricanes player Emily Smith has accepted a sanction from Cricket Australia for breaching Article 2.3.2 of CA’s Anti-Corruption Code.
Under the sanction, Smith will be ineligible to participate in any form of cricket for a period of one year, with nine months being fully suspended. This effectively means that Smith is ineligible for a period of three months, ruling her out of the remainder of this season’s WBBL and WNCL competitions.
Smith posted the Hurricanes’ team line-up to her personal Instagram account approximately an hour before the official scheduled release on Saturday, November 2. The Women’s Big Bash League match, played between the Hurricanes and the Sydney Thunder in Burnie, was abandoned due to weather.
Article 2.3.2 of Cricket Australia’s Anti-Corruption Code prohibits: “Disclosing Inside Information to any person (with or without Reward) where the Participant knew or might reasonably have known that such disclosure might lead to the information being used in relation to Betting in relation to any Match or Event.”
In a related note, the Code states: “Any potential offence under this Article will be considered on its own set of facts and the particular circumstances surrounding any relevant disclosure. For example, it may be an offence under this clause to disclose Inside Information: (a) to journalists or other members of the media; and/or (b) on social networking websites where the Participant knew or should reasonably have known that such disclosure might lead to the information being used in relation to Betting.”
Sean Carroll, Cricket Australia’s Head of Integrity and Security, said: “Whilst Cricket Australia acknowledges that at the time of posting the team line-up there was no intent to breach the Anti-Corruption Code, CA’s rigorous anti-corruption player education program means that players are well aware of their obligations under the Anti-Corruption Code and there is no excuse for breaches regardless of the reasons for information being disclosed.”
“Since the commencement of the WBBL, Cricket Australia has had in place a robust anti-corruption program,” Carroll continued. “We have been working with Emily throughout the process and Emily now understands the mistake she made. Unfortunately, in this instance Emily’s actions breached the Anti-Corruption Code. We hope this serves as reminder to all that the Anti-Corruption Code is critical to protecting the integrity of the game.”
