Sri Lanka Seeks Indian Help in Handling Cricket Match Fixing

India has responded positively to a Sri Lankan request of tackling match-fixing issues in cricket in the country. India has offered its southern neighbor assistance in inquiry and drafting laws to curb match-fixing.

Arjuna Ranatunga, Sri Lanka’s Petroleum Minister and the captain of its 1996 Cricket World Cup winning team, said that the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), India’s premier investigation agency, can provide its technical expertise to Sri Lanka for probing allegations of corruption in cricket, AFP reported.

According to the report, Ranatunga said that he had requested Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to put him in touch with the CBI. “I made the request, and Prime Minister Modi immediately put me in touch with the CBI,” the news agency reported.

“We don’t have the expertise or the laws to deal with this problem in a proper manner. India promised to help us in drafting legislation too,” he added.

Ranatunga was in India on an official trip with Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe and other ministers. He said this on Oct.22, after returning from New Delhi.

Ranatunga himself has been named in a match-fixing related controversy but came out clear. In 2000, the CBI had named him and former captain Aravinda de Silva in a match-fixing investigation and both were cleared of any wrongdoing, AFP said in its report.

A documentary by Al Jazeera aired in May this year alleged massive corruption in cricket at international level. It had shown Tharanga Indika, curator of Sri Lanka’s Galle stadium who claimed in the video that he was able to set the pitch in the stadium to make it favorable for desired outcome. Cricketer Tharindu Mendis was also named for allegedly speculating about doctoring the pitch to ensure favorable result in the test match against England.

Sri Lanka Cricket suspended both as an ICC investigation was pending against them. A provincial coach, named Jeevantha Kulatunga, was also suspended after the controversy surfaced.

After this documentary, Sri Lanka decided to form a special police unit to investigate match-fixing allegations in cricket.

Former Sri Lankan all-rounder Sanath Jayasuriya is also being investigated by the International Cricket Council’s anti-corruption unit and others. It is alleged that he was not cooperating with a match-fixing probe and hiding important information.