South Africa bans fast bowler Tsotsobe for 8 years

Published Jul. 11, 2017 3:08 p.m. ET

JOHANNESBURG (AP) Cricket South Africa has banned fast bowler Lonwabo Tsotsobe for eight years following several breaches of its anti-corruption code in the domestic Twenty20 competition during 2015.

CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat said in a statement Tuesday that while no fixing actually took place, ''Tsotsobe admitted his mistakes in contravening the CSA Anti-Corruption Code and it is clear that he was active in plans to participate in spot fixing and hence the sanction imposed on him.''

He is the seventh player to be banned after the CSA last year imposed a 20-year ban on Gulam Bodi, who admitted charges of contriving or attempting to fix matches in the same competition.

Tsotsobe played five test matches and 61 ODIs for South Africa.

Responding to the ban, Tsotsobe said: ''I wish to apologize to cricket lovers all over the world. I was, at the time, in a very vulnerable financial state and this dilemma too easily persuaded me to participate in spot fixing.''