14 Apr 2023

ECB talking to Brendon McCullum about betting organisation

8:29 am on 14 April 2023
England Test Coach Brendon McCullum.

England coach Brendon McCullum Photo: PHOTOSPORT

The England and Wales Cricket Board is talking to England Test coach Brendon McCullum over his involvement with betting organisation 22Bet.

The New Zealander joined the company as an ambassador in January and has appeared in advertisements online.

"We are exploring the matter and are in discussions with Brendon around his relationship with 22Bet," said the ECB.

"We have rules in place around gambling and will always seek to ensure these are followed."

McCullum posted a video on his own Facebook page on 27 March promoting 22Bet's markets on the Indian Premier League.

The ECB's anti-discrimination code says "directly or indirectly soliciting, inducing, enticing, instructing, persuading, encouraging, facilitating or authorising any other party to enter into a bet in relation to the result, progress, conduct or any other aspect of any match or competition" is an offence.

The code suggests such an offence would carry a minimum one-year period of "ineligibility".

The ECB clarified that McCullum is not currently under investigation.

The former New Zealand captain took over as England Test coach last year and, in conjunction with captain Ben Stokes, sparked a dramatic upturn in results.

England have won 10 of their past 12 Tests, having won only one of the previous 17.

McCullum is due back in the UK at the end of May, before England's first Test of the summer against Ireland on 1 June.

-BBC