Aravinda de Silva requests BCCI, ICC to investigate 2011 WC Final fixing allegations

Recent rumors or allegations which have been circulating all over the internet are about the 2011 ICC Cricket World Cup Final. Recently, the ex-sports minister of Sri Lanka Mahindananda Aluthgamage came out and said the final which was played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai was fixed. India won that match and lifted the World Cup after 28 years.

After the comments from Aluthgamage came, former cricketers Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene ridiculed the claims on Twitter. However, now former Sri Lankan skipper Aravinda de Silva has said that there should be an investigation. De Silva, who played for Sri Lanka between 1984 and 2003 said that the investigation should be done keeping in mind Sachin Tendulkar and the fans.

When serious allegations like these are being made, it affects a lot of people: Aravinda de Silva

“Just like we cherished our World Cup victory, players like Sachin (Tendulkar) cherish these moments for the rest of their lives. I think in the interest of Sachin and the millions of cricket fans across India, it’s the duty of the Indian government and their cricket board to initiate an impartial inquiry to see whether they have won a fixed World Cup,” he said according to Inside Sport.

India, led by MS Dhoni, chased down a big total set up by Sri Lanka in the final. It was Tendulkar’s last World Cup and also his only World Cup win. The former Sri Lankan batsman was an inspirational figure for Sri Lanka during their 1996 World Cup triumph. He scored an unbeaten match-winning century in the final in Lahore against Australia.

De Silva went on to say that it’s important to investigate so that there are no such allegations made again. The former batsman talked about the dedication which the Indian team showed to win the world title.

“When serious allegations like these are being made, it affects a lot of people. In this case not only us, the selectors, the players and the team management but Indian cricketers who deservingly won the world title. We need to clear this once and for all for the greater good of the game we love,” he added.

One more allegation which had emerged from Aluthgamage was regarding the selectors. The selectors made four changes to the semi-final XI. Chamara Kapugedara in place of Chamara Silva, Suraj Randiv for Ajantha Mendis, Nuwan Kulasekara for Rangana Herath and Thisara Perera for Angelo Mathews was brought into the side for the final.

On the surface, it didn’t seem odd because only Mathews was the one who was dropped because of an injury. Whereas Kulasekara was brought as the pitch at Wankhede would have aided another fast bowler, something which Sri Lanka didn’t have in the semi-final, which played on a spin-friendly track in Colombo.