"I felt like I was part of a gang" - Former New Zealand batter on being involved in match-fixing controversy in India
Former New Zealand batter Lou Vincent recalled being dragged into the match-fixing controversy during the now-defunct Indian Cricket League (ICL) in the late 2000s. The 46-year-old mentioned how being 'part of a gang' helped him feel better at a time when he was battling depression, resulting in his involvement with match-fixing.
Vincent was handed 11 life bans in 2014 for his involvement in match-fixing, denying him participation in any level of cricket. Apart from the ICL, the former Kiwi cricketer was involved in spot-fixing activities in the ECB 40, Bangladesh Premier League, and Champions League T20.
In a recent interview with the Telegraph, Vincent said as quoted by TOI:
"I didn't have the mental package to be a professional sports player. So at 28 I was deeply in depression and then went to India, and was dragged, sucked into the fixing world. It was pretty easy to see how it happened. I felt like I was part of a gang."
He continued:
"It almost made me feel better because I am thinking: 'I am part of a match-fixing gang, I am with a group that's going to have my back and nobody knows our little secret'. I think that's how most bike gangs work with young kids. Yeah, they sort of groom young kids into 'We'll look after you but go drive that car through the shop and smash it up."
Vincent was finally granted a relaxation on his life ban in December 2023. After that, the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) permitted the right-hander to partake in domestic cricket or any other level.
"The ECB was great to deal with" - Lou Vincent
Lou Vincent thanked the ECB for working with him during the decade-long clean-up process, culminating with the relaxation of his life ban.
Born in Auckland, Vincent played in all three formats for New Zealand in a combined 134 outings. He scored almost 4,000 runs in his international career from 2001 to 2007 with six centuries and 20 fifties
"Coming clean and approaching the players' association and telling them what was happening, 'Where do we go from here?, was the start of turning it around. The ECB was great to deal with. It's taken a good decade but you can't rush healing. It's still a daily check sometimes. But those moments of going down (feeling depressed) are very short now instead of it being hours or days or weeks," said Vincent.
Vincent's last competitive match came for the Khulna Royal Bengals in the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League, when he also captained the side.