Match-fixing in series with Pakistan, ICC to investigate: Sri Lanka
The Sri Lankan Cricket Board has said it has requested the game’s world governing body (ICC) to investigate allegations of match-fixing arising from Pakistan’s tour of Sri Lanka in July this year.
According to French news agency AFP, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board’s move on Wednesday came weeks after opposition lawmaker Nalin Bandara claimed in parliament that the two-match Test series, which was drawn 1-1, was rigged. There was a fix.
The board has asked the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) head of anti-corruption, Alex Marshall, to visit Sri Lanka and investigate the allegation, which has ‘severely damaged his reputation.’ According to the cricket board’s statement, it is committed to integrity in cricket and believes that an investigation by the ICC is “the right course of action in light of the recent allegations.”
It should be noted that Sri Lanka’s national cricket team has been plagued by corruption allegations and infighting for the past several years. According to former sports minister Harin Fernando, the ICC considers Sri Lanka to be one of the most corrupt countries in the world. The series against Pakistan was played in Galle this year during the height of Sri Lanka’s economic crisis.
