Canada's T20 World Cup 2026 fixture vs New Zealand under ICC corruption investigation

The ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) is currently investigating allegations of corruption involving Cricket Canada, with their Men's T20 World Cup 2026 fixture against New Zealand under the scanner. Canada were a part of Group D alongside South Africa, the UAE, New Zealand and Afghanistan at the marquee tournament. They played the Kiwis at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in Chennai on February 17.

The allegations stem from a documentary named 'Corruption, Crime and Cricket', produced by a Canadian investigative documentary programme, The Fifth Estate.

The 43-minute-long documentary accuses Canada Cricket of corruption and was aired by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) on Friday. The documentary puts the fifth over of New Zealand's innings into question, which was bowled by Canada skipper Dilpreet Bajwa.

Defending 174 after a stellar hundred by opener Yuvraj Samra (110 off 65 balls) by seamers Jaskaran Singh and Dilon Heyliger. As Jaskaran conceded 14 and Heyliger was taken for 15 in the first two overs, skipper Bajwa turned to spin. He introduced his slow left-arm orthodox bowler, Saad Bin Zafar, into the attack. The plan worked as Zafar dismissed Tim Seifert on the fourth ball and conceded just a leg bye in the over.

Heyliger continued for the fourth over and got the big wicket of Finn Allen on the first ball and only conceded five in the over. With the Kiwis 35/2, Bajwa brought himself into the attack for the fifth over. He conceded 15 runs in the over, including a no ball and a wide.

Another key area of the investigation involves a phone call recording of then Canada coach, Khurram Chohan. In the phone call, Chohan claims that some of the senior (now erstwhile) Cricket Canada board members coerced him into selecting certain players in the national side. The audio of the phone conversation was leaked in 2025, and the ACU has been investigating it, including the claims of attempts to fix matches.

"The ACU is aware of the programme broadcast by CBC," Andrew Ephgrave, interim General Manager of the ICC's Integrity Unit, said in a statement to ESPNcricinfo. "Consistent with its established operating procedures, the ACU is not in a position to comment on the substance of any allegations contained within it.

"Governance matters in relation to ICC Members are considered by the ICC, where they fall under its jurisdiction, in accordance with the ICC's standard constitutional processes.

"The ICC's Anti-Corruption Unit operates across three core functions: intelligence, prevention and education, and investigation. These functions operate concurrently and are applied wherever there is a credible basis to believe the integrity of the sport may be at risk."

The documentary also features former Canada coach Pubudu Dassanayake, who makes similar claims to Chohan about being pressurised to select certain players for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2024.