‘Cocaine, spot-fixing & stress’: Zimbabwe's Brendan Taylor pens horror story of being blackmailed by Indian businessman

Former Zimbabwe captain Brendan Taylor on Monday left a note on Twitter, where he revealed how he was forced into spot-fixing. Taylor, in the four-page note, penned down nerve chilling details and alleged that an Indian businessman had tricked him into it by inviting him to a dinner party. 

The former cricketer, who has represented Zimbabwe in 34 Tests and 205 ODIs, also hoped that this gesture of his will inspire emerging cricketers not to get involved in such unfair means.

Taylor also mentioned that he has been carrying the "burden" for two years and how the incident had a "profound effect on his mental health." 

Giving a clear picture of what exactly happened, the 35-year-old wicketkeeper said the incident took place in October 2019 when he traveled to India. As mentioned by Taylor in the note it took place at a time when his six-month salary was still pending from Zimbabwe Cricket and the country's participation in the international arena looked bleak. 

The cricketer revealed he was initially approached with the proposal of sponsorship and planning a domestic T20 league in Zimbabwe. 

However, the trip didn't go according to plan as he visited a party where the businessman along with his associates were indulging in drugs apart from the regular drinks. Taylor failed to resist the offer and "foolishly" took drugs, a video of which was later used by the alleged party to blackmail the cricketer. 

Taylor mentioned he was initially offered USD 15,000 and was later assured to be paid another USD 20,000 after he "completed the job." Scared with the blackmailing, the cricketer in his note stated that he accepted the money, which he felt was his only escape route from the country. 

The former cricketer, who was diagnosed with shingles after returning home, reported the matter to ICC after four months. 

He further clarified that he has "never been involved in any form of match-fixing", adding that he also has no issues with any sort of penalty, which the global cricket body plans to impose. 

Taylor concluded that he will be checking into a rehabilitation centre on January 25 and remains optimistic to get his "life back on track."   

The 35-year-old had captained Zimbabwe in 71 matches from 2011 to 2021 in all the three formats. He was initially appointed as a full-time captain between mid-2011 and mid 2014, before Zimbabwe opted for split captaincy following which he only led the country in the red-ball format. 

He announced retirement from international cricket towards the end of 2015 World Cup and traveled to the UK under the Kolpak deal. After playing for a little over a year, Taylor announced comeback to international cricket towards the end of 2017.

Former Zimbabwe captain Heath Streak was also handed a ban by the ICC last year for breaching the anti-corruption code.