Former NZ batter Vincent has life ban for match fixing relaxed by ECB

Dec. 11, (Reuters) - Ex-New Zealand batsman Lou Vincent said he was grateful to have his life ban for match fixing relaxed by England's cricket board (ECB) on Friday, which will allow him to be involved in domestic cricket.

The ECB had announced a life ban on Vincent in 2014 after the disgraced player admitted he was a "cheat" and had shamed his country and the sport by fixing matches.

Vincent had pleaded guilty to 18 breaches of the board's anti-corruption regulations in three matches in England and had accepted the ban which barred him from playing or coaching in any form of recognised cricket.

However, the ECB's Cricket Discipline Commission said the decision to relax the ban was reached after considering the circumstances of his case along with his "full and frank admissions and disclosures" and his "total cooperation" with the authorities.

"I made a terrible mistake many years ago which I'll deeply regret for the rest of my life, and I remain very sorry for the harm I caused," Vincent, 45, said in a statement.

"Being able to return to the cricket environment means the world to me and I feel very fortunate to again have that opportunity."

Vincent, who played 23 tests and more than 100 one-day internationals for New Zealand, had been investigated for being involved in attempting to manipulate 12 matches in five countries between 2008 and 2012.

He pleaded guilty to offences relating to two matches he played for English county Sussex in August 2011 - a Twenty20 contest against Lancashire and a 40-over clash with Kent - besides another T20 match between Lancashire and Durham in 2008.