A former county cricket coach has been handed a nine-month suspension after admitting to multiple instances of sexual misconduct. The punishment, issued by the Cricket Discipline Panel, stems from a series of inappropriate actions involving junior female staff members during the 2023 and 2024 cricket seasons.
The coach, whose identity has not been disclosed due to health-related concerns and risk of harm, admitted to five breaches of the sport’s conduct regulations. Among the most troubling details was an attempt to kiss one of the victims inside a club dressing room. The panel noted that one of the women was significantly younger and in a subordinate role.
Cricket Coach Apologises, Faces Ban and Education Mandate
Following the misconduct, the coach was immediately relieved of his duties and has not participated in any cricket-related role since. The nine-month ban includes six months of retrospective suspension and three months suspended, contingent upon future conduct. He is also required to complete an educational program focusing on workplace ethics, digital boundaries, and sexual harassment awareness.
In his submission, the coach expressed remorse:
“𝑰 𝒅𝒆𝒆𝒑𝒍𝒚 𝒓𝒆𝒈𝒓𝒆𝒕 𝒎𝒚 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒂𝒗𝒆 𝒕𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒏 𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒑𝒔 𝒕𝒐 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒖𝒓𝒕 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒄𝒂𝒖𝒔𝒆𝒅,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒊𝒅, 𝒂𝒔 𝒑𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒑𝒂𝒏𝒆𝒍 𝒓𝒆𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕.
He also worked with a former professional sportswoman and engaged in training to improve awareness of appropriate workplace behaviour.
Meanwhile, Cricket Regulator Managing Director Chris Haward strongly condemned the actions:
“𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒅 𝒐𝒇 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒖𝒏𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒆𝒑𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆. 𝑹𝒆𝒎𝒐𝒗𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒔𝒆𝒙𝒖𝒂𝒍 𝒎𝒊𝒔𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒅𝒖𝒄𝒕 𝒇𝒓𝒐𝒎 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒈𝒂𝒎𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂 𝒑𝒓𝒊𝒐𝒓𝒊𝒕𝒚,” 𝒔𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝑩𝑩𝑪 𝑺𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕. “𝑾𝒆 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒄𝒐𝒏𝒕𝒊𝒏𝒖𝒆 𝒕𝒐 𝒉𝒐𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒏𝒅𝒊𝒗𝒊𝒅𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕𝒂𝒃𝒍𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒃𝒓𝒂𝒗𝒆𝒍𝒚 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒅.”
The case underscores the sport’s ongoing efforts to promote safe and respectful environments within professional cricket.
Also Read: Why Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli Are Missing Upcoming India Matches
