ICC clears Sri Lanka Cricket of corruption charges

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) earlier on Tuesday announced that the International Cricket Council (ICC) had found no evidence of foul play following allegations of match-fixing and other forms of corruption by former Sri Lankan cricketers.

The board declared that the cricket’s apex council had failed to uncover any evidence of malice during an investigation into the shocking accusations levelled by Lankan veterans. SLC said its executive committee had also directed players and staff to cooperate with the ICC’s probe.

In September last year, they had initiated a full-scale investigation following corruption allegations by former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and ex-player and national selector Pramodya Wickremasinghe. SLC chief executive Ashley de Silva also confirmed that anti-corruption investigators visited the island in September and conducted a thorough inquiry.

He added, “They do not put out statements after an inquiry, but if there is anything adverse, they would inform us. To date, they have not told us of anything (against Sri Lankan players or officials),” de Silva told reporters.

Board president Thilanga Sumathipala also lashed out stating it’s “very unfair” for such allegations to be made without any evidence, adding the ICC had found no proof of foul play.

ICC yet to comment

The ICC announced the probe a day after SLC cited that 40 contracted national team players had asked for an immediate inquiry into the allegations by Wickremasinghe. Ranatunga, who captained the Islanders during their 1996 World Cup win, alleged that insider meddling cost Sri Lanka a repeat tournament crown during the 2011 final against India.

Ranatunga, now a government minister, alleged that unusual changes were made to the team before the final which Sri Lanka lost by six wickets. Similar allegations of “unnatural match patterns” and queries over player selection were made by Wickremasinghe.

However, in spite of all the speculations, it can’t be disguised that Sri Lankan cricket is dwindling through of a tough phase, and the results speak for itself.