Top Sri Lankan cricketer being probed

One of Sri Lanka's leading cricketers is also being investigated for corruption by the International Cricket Council.

COLOMBO: The recent melodrama of corruption in cricket seems to have rubbed off on Sri Lanka as well, as one of their leading cricketers is also being investigated by the International Cricket Council (ICC). According to the BBC, this unnamed cricketer was seen with a suspected match-fixer and was subsequently reported to the cricketing body by Brendon Kuruppu, the team’s former manager.

The ICC has refused to comment in this regard. “We don’t discuss the details of investigations being carried out by the anti-corruption and security unit (ACSU),” said an ICC spokesman.

The cricketing body sent a special team from the ACSU to Sri Lanka as soon as they were notified by Kuruppu, after which the police later initiated a probe into the allegations but no charges were filed against any of the players.

Chairman of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) DS de Silva claimed that it was premature to discuss the allegations, but SLC secretary Nishantha Ranathunga told the Sri Lankan Sunday Times that the police investigation was still under way.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 7^th, 2010.