Big blow for USA as star player charged under anti-corruption code before T20 World Cup 2026

Only a few teams remain to announce their squads for the 20-team ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, and the United States are among them. While the tournament is less than two weeks away from beginning, the United States have suffered a major blow, as a star player has been provisionally suspended under the ICC anti-corruption code.

On Wednesday (January 28), the International Cricket Council (ICC) released a statement about the 31-year-old USA star cricketer Aaron Jones' provisional suspension due to breaching five anti-corruption codes of the Cricket West Indies (CWI) and the ICC. 

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USA cricketer Aaron Jones breached five anti-corruption codes

The anti-corruption charges on Aaron Jones mostly related to the Bim10 tournament in 2023-24. While he breached three CWI anti-corruption codes, he also breached two ICC anti-corruption codes, which were related to international matches. 

Aaron Jones' five counts of anti-corruption charges are as follows:

• Article 2.1.1 of the CWI Code – Fixing, contriving to fix or otherwise influencing improperly, or being a party to an agreement or effort to fix or contrive in any way or otherwise influence improperly, the result, progress, conduct or other aspect of matches in the Bim10 tournament in 2023/24 (or attempting to do so).
• Article 2.4.2 of the CWI Code – Failing to disclose to Cricket West Indies details of any approaches or invitations to engage in conduct that would amount to a breach of the CWI Code.
• Article 2.4.4 of the CWI Code – Failing or refusing to cooperate with a reasonable investigation carried out by the Designated Anti-Corruption Official (or his/her designee) in relation to possible offences under the CWI Code.
• Article 2.4.4 of the ICC Code – Failing to disclose to the ICC ACU full deof any approaches or invitations received to engage in Corrupt Conduct under the ICC Code.
• Article 2.4.7 of the ICC Code – Obstructing the ACU’s investigation into possible Corrupt Conduct by concealing and/or tampering with information that may have been relevant to the investigation, or which may have constituted evidence or led to the discovery of evidence of Corrupt Conduct.

 On Jones suspension, the ICC stated, "Jones has been provisionally suspended from all cricket with immediate effect and has 14 days from 28 January 2026 to respond to the charges.”

Aaron Jones is a star name for USA 

Aaron Jones has played 52 ODIs and 48 T20Is, where the right-handed batter has scored 1664 ODI runs (average 33.95 and strike rate 71.44) and 770 T20I runs (average 24.06 and strike rate 114.58). He is the second-leading ODI scorer and third-leading T20I scorer for the USA. While he scored one century and 11 half-centuries in his ODI career, also recorded two half-centuries in his T20I career. 

While the USA made their World Cup debut in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024 as the co-hosts, the USA advanced to the Super Eight stage, which guided them to directly qualify for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, which India and Sri Lanka will jointly host between February 7 and March 8. In that tournament, Aaron Jones was the second most run-scorer for his team with 162 runs in six innings, including the match-winning 94 not out off 40 balls in the tournament opener against Canada.