Female cricketer banned for betting

Sydney - An Australian female cricket player has been banned for six months for placing bets on a men's Test match between Australia and New Zealand.

Piepa Cleary, a 19-year-old player contracted to the Perth Scorchers in the women's Twenty20 Big Bash League, received a further 18-month suspended sentence after admitting placing the bets totalling 15.50 Australian dollars on the third test last November.

She is the second female player in Australia to be sanctioned recently for betting on men's matches. Angela Reakes, a legspinner for the Sydney Sixers, received a two-year suspended sentence for wagering $9 on the 2015 World Cup final.

Head of Cricket Australia's integrity unit, Iain Roy says "We take a zero tolerance approach to any form of gambling on cricket by players."