Brendan Taylor claims Indian businessman blackmailed him with cocaine video to spot-fix, faces ICC ban

Zimbabwe star Brendan Taylor today made a shocking revelation about how he was blackmailed by "an Indian businessman" with a video of him using cocaine to get him to spot-fix.

Taking to Twitter, Taylor shared the story of how he was invited to India to attend a meeting over a potential T20 competition in Zimbabwe. He was eventually offered cocaine and then blackmailed the next day with a video of him partaking in using the illegal substance.

Taylor claimed he was paid $15,000 as a "deposit" for spot-fixing and promised another $20,000 upon performing the task.

He said that four months after the incident, which took place in October 2019, he reported it to the International Cricket Council. He added that he never indulged in match-fixing and only took the $15,000 because he feared for his safety at the time and 'just needed to get out of there'.

"In late October 2019, I was approached by an Indian businessman requesting that I attend India to discuss sponsorships and the potential launch of a T20 competition in Zimbabwe and was advised that I would be paid USD$15 000 to make the journey," he wrote in his statement.

"I can’t deny I was a little wary. But the timing was such that we hadn’t been paid for 6 months by Zimbabwe cricket and it was questionable whether Zimbabwe would be able to continue playing in the international arena. So I made the journey," Taylor added.

He then divulged details of how he was eventually blackmailed.

"The discussions took place, as he had said, and on our last night in the hotel, the businessman and his colleagues took me for a celebratory dinner. We had drinks and during the course of the evening they openly offered me cocaine, which they themselves engaged in, and I foolishly took the bait. I’ve gone over it a million times since and still feel sick to my stomach reliving that night and how they played me," he wrote.

He went on to add:

"The following morning, the same men stormed into my hotel room and showed me a video taken of me the night before doing cocaine and told me that if I did not spot fix at international matches for them, the video would be released to the public. I was cornered. And with 6 of these individuals in my hotel room, I was scared for my own safety. I’d fallen for it. I‘d willingly walked into a situation that has changed my life forever.

"I was handed the USD$15, 000 but was told this was now a ‘deposit’ for spot fixing and that an additional USD$20, 000 would be paid once the “job” was complete. I took the money so I could get on a plane and leave India. I felt I had no choice at the time because saying no was clearly not an option. All I knew was I had to get out of there," he wrote.

"I may be many things but I am not a cheat" - Brendan Taylor

Brendan Taylor wrote that the stress from the incident severely impacted his mental health. The former Zimbabwe captain said he reported the incident to the ICC after four months, adding that the delay was due to his fear for the wellbeing of his family.

He said, however, that he never fixed any matches and that his love for cricket was too strong for him to fall for the threats against him.

"I would like to place on record that I have never been involved in any form of match-fixing. I may be many things but I am not a cheat. My love for the beautiful game of cricket far outweighs and surpasses any threats which could be thrown my way," he wrote in his statement.

He revealed that the ICC have decided to impose a ban on him from international cricket and that he accepts it. He revealed signing into a rehabilitation centre "to get clean and get my life back on track."