Lou Vincent ban 'a barrier' to others reporting offences

Lou Vincent's life ban for match fixing may deter other players from reporting offences, New Zealand Cricket Players' Association boss Heath Mills has said.

Vincent, 35, was banned from all forms of cricket on Tuesday after admitting 18 match-fixing offences.

"What he has done is unacceptable and required a heavy sanction," Mills said.

"But I can only assume the people making these decisions are not motivated to have players coming forward in the future."

Vincent is said to have co-operated with officials during the investigation of his offences.

Mills, who facilitated legal help for Vincent after the former New Zealand batsman confided to him that he had been involved in corruption, added: "The bigger goal here has to be the fight against corruption in our sport.

"The anti-corruption officers have few tools in this fight and their most important tool is information from players.

"So by not giving people credit for coming forward and providing information, you are effectively putting up a significant barrier for anyone coming forward in the future."