England Test coach Brendon McCullum will face no further action over his involvement with an online betting business and has been cleared of breaching anti-corruption code by the England and Wales Cricket Board of breaching.
Reports said that the New Zealander had quit his job as an advertiser for 22Bet, a bookmaker based in Cyprus for which he had appeared in several online ads.
Last month, a video of McCullum promoting the company’s Indian Premier League markets before the season started was posted on his official Facebook page.
The ECB code says that players, coaches, and officials can’t bet on games or encourage others to do so. This is why the governing body said it was “looking into” McCullum’s relationship with 22Bet.
But on Wednesday, the ECB said that McCullum hadn’t done anything wrong. The code doesn’t stop players or officials from becoming brand ambassadors for betting organisations.
“Discussions have been ongoing with Brendon over the last few days, and the matter has been considered from an employer and regulator perspective,” An ECB spokesman said.
“We can confirm that no further action will be taken.”
Reports say that McCullum is ending his relationship with 22Bet. He has won 10 of his last 12 matches and, along with England’s captain, Ben Stokes, is credited with changing the way England’s Test team plays.
In June, England will play Ireland in a Test match at Lord’s. After that, they will host five Ashes games against Australia.
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