KINGSTON, Jamaica — Jamaica and West Indies cricketer Marlon Samuels confirmed that he has filed a defamation case against former Australia fast bowler Geoff Lawson for alleged malicious comments during a radio show in April.
The 35-year-old Samuels told OBSERVER ONLINE a short while ago that the suit was filed, but he declined further comment. Lawson, 58, had reportedly said Samuels is “tied up with gangs” and “shady people” in the West Indies.
The Australian also used the high murder rate in Jamaica’s capital Kingston in an attempt to add weight to his comments. Lawson’s comments were said to have been made on The Big Sports Breakfast programme a day after West Indies beat England in a dramatic final to lift the 2016 ICC World Twenty20 crown in India. Samuels made a man-of-the-match unbeaten half century in the match.
News.com.au journalist James Matthey, who analysed comments emanating from an ongoing public disagreement between Samuels and Australian leg-spin legend Shane Warne, is also included in the lawsuit. In a statement, Samuels said his intention is to defend his integrity as an international cricketer.