Taylor is not a hard-nosed criminal: Gambhir wants ICC to go soft on the Zimbabwean

Brendan Taylor, the Zimbabwean cricketer who in a letter released on Twitter revealed the ordeals that he had to go through to get himself out from the spot-fixing mess, seems to have earned a bit of soft corner from former India batter and current Member of Parliament, Gautam Gambhir. 

Gambhir, in his column in the Times of India, said that Taylor is no hard-nosed criminal and was only trying to protect and secure his family of four children and wife when he delayed reporting the corrupt approach made to him by Indian businessmen who also threatened to expose him by releasing his video consuming banned substances. 

“Don't get me wrong as I am not supporting Taylor. I am only concerned about the circumstances which forced him, a father of four children fearing for his and his family's lives, to delay reporting the incident to the International Cricket Council Anti-Corruption Unit,” Gambhir wrote in his column. 

"Taylor is a sportsperson and not a hard-nosed criminal whose faculties would support him if six individuals barged into his hotel room with a threat to release a video where he was reportedly consuming a banned substance," he added.

The 40-year-old then went on to suggest to the International Cricket Council that if Taylor is not really guilty of corruption and spot foxing and his only fault is late reporting, then the international body could go a bit soft.

"Surely these corrupt men are not working in seclusion. More often than not they seem to be part of an organised group. What if someone had tried to physically harm Taylor or his family? Is there a provision to provide security to cricketers who report a corrupt approach but fear for their or their family's well-being? Is there any network which activates their security at the local level," Gambhir questioned.

"By Taylor's admission, he didn't succumb to the pressures of corruptors and never did anything wrong. If this is true then perhaps authorities can go a little soft on him. If he is corrupt, then the law must take its course," he suggested further.