Former Zimbabwe Cricket captain Brendan Taylor has made a shocking confession that he took money to throw games after being blackmailed over his cocaine habit.
“I’ve been carrying a burden for over two years that has sadly taken me to some very dark places and had a profound effect on my mental health,” said Taylor in a written statement he posted on Twitter on Monday.
The former Zimbabwe cricket captain explains how he was offered US$15 000 by an Indian businessman to travel to India to discuss sponsorships.
He said at the time Zimbabwe national cricket players were not getting paid their salaries for six months.
Taylor said he travelled to India and discussions took place at a hotel between the businessman and his colleagues.
“We had drinks during the course of the evening they openly offered me cocaine, which they themselves engaged in and I foolishly took the bait,” says Taylor.
“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 for them at international matches the video would be released to the public.”
Taylor said although he took a deposit of US$15 000 he never acted on the match-fixing deal and instead informed the ICC of his predicament.
The former Zimbabwe captain is facing a ban and says he is checking into rehab to deal with his addiction.
The 35-year-old wicketkeeper-batsman, who is one of the finest players that Zimbabwe has ever produced, abandoned international cricket after the 2015 World Cup.
Taylor returned to the Zimbabwe team in 2017 before retiring again from international cricket last year.