Former professional cricketer Ryan Davies has been handed a six-month suspension ban by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) after it was discovered that he violated the rules by betting on games for more than a period of six years.
The 25-year-old agreed to accusations connected to a string of wagers he placed during 2015 and 2020, despite not participating in first-class cricket since 2018. A total of 181 bets were placed by the former right-handed wicketkeeper-batter, comprising 120 in 2015, 16 in 2016, seven in 2017, and another 38 in 2020.
The ECB noted that the sanction considered a number of mitigating circumstances, including the fact that Davies admitted the allegations when the ECB first got in touch with him, that he demonstrated regret and apologies throughout the investigative process, and that there were no bets related to games in which he participated.
Additionally, it was determined that Davies had a serious gambling addiction at the time of the underlying charges, for which he has sought appropriate assistance. Since then, he has affirmed that he has stopped gambling.
The six-month suspension is lifted for two years, starting on May 6, 2022, and it won’t take effect unless Davies plays first-class cricket again. Additionally, if Davies were to commit another violation of the ECB Anti-Corruption Code within that time, the ban would be imposed.
Davies started playing for Kent in June 2015 when he made his first-class debut as Sam Billings was called up for England’s ODI squad. In addition to playing for Durham in 2018, he later played for Somerset from 2016 to 2017.
Almost exactly three years from the day of making his first-class debut for Kent against the same team, he earned his Durham Championship breakthrough in the victory over Derbyshire at Emirates Riverside. However, his first season was limited to just three Championship games. He was last seen playing first-class cricket in September 2018 in a game against Middlesex.
