Sri Lanka sports minister wants the 2011 World Cup final to be investigated

April 2, 2011, is a date which will be etched in the memory of Indian cricket fans forever. Team India won their second World Cup title, after 28 years, by beating Sri Lanka in the finals at the Wankhede Stadium. Dhoni’s title winning six is a sight that does not fade away. However, that same night has come under the scanner once again, but for wrong reasons. After allegations made by former Sri Lanka captain Arjuna Ranatunga, that the final was scripted, Sri Lanka’s sports minister has doubled the calls for an investigation into Sri Lanka’s loss against India.

Ranatunga, 53, posted a video on his Facebook page, in which he said Sri Lanka’s six-wicket defeat in the final was shocking. He also said that he has proof to back his comments on the final being fixed, but would present them before the public when the time is right. Since then, there has been coercion on the Sri Lankan authorities to probe into the matter.

Pressure has since been mounting for an inquiry into the shock defeat, with a former cricket captain and a minister going public with their suspicions that Sri Lanka deliberately lost the match. “The allegations merit an investigation,” Dayasiri Jayasekera,” the sports minister of Sri Lanka, told reporters in Colombo. “As soon as I get a written complaint, I will start a probe.”

Fresh concerns 

At the same time, the minister who looked into sports affair in 2011 has also raised concerns. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, the then minister, told media in Sri Lanka that there were “several disturbing factors about that game”. “Then there are also questions about the behaviour of a very senior player. During the match, instructions sent to the field were ignored,” Aluthgamage said, maintaining anonymity of the player.

These allegations have not gone down well with the heroes of India’s win, who slammed Ranatunga earlier in the week for his comments.