Lou Vincent, who declared himself cheat in 2014, granted permission to play cricket at domestic level

Lou Vincent, the former New Zealand batter who was banned for life by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) in 2014, has been granted permission to play cricket at or below domestic level.

ECB's disciplinary arm has agreed to revise the penalties imposed on the former right-hander. New Zealand Cricket (NZC) has joined with the New Zealand Cricket Players Association in welcoming the relaxation.

"Gerard Elias CBE KC on behalf of the Cricket Discipline Commission, said in a statement the decision was reached following careful consideration of the specific circumstances of Vincent’s case, the supporting evidence, and representations from a number of major cricket stakeholders, including the International Cricket Council, NZC, and the ECB," NZC said in a statement.

Vincent, 45, has expressed gratitude for getting a second chance. He had admitted his mistakes and called himself a cheat in 2014.

"My name is Lou Vincent and I am a cheat. I have abused my position as a professional sportsman on a number of occasions by choosing to accept money through fixing.

"I have lived with this dark secret for many years, but just months ago I reached the point where I decided I had to come forward and tell the truth," Vincent had said in a statement.

The Auckland-born cricketer said he would look forward to supporting and helping the game at a community level in the years ahead, and attending cricket matches with his family.

“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. Being able to return to the cricket environment means the world to me and I feel very fortunate to again have that opportunity," Lou Vincent said after the ban was eased.

Vincent has featured in 23 Test matches, 102 ODIs and nine T20Is and scored 1332, 2413 and 174 runs respectively.