Sri Lanka Police drops 2011 World Cup final fixing probe
The Sri Lanka Police, on Friday, called off its investigation over allegations of match-fixing in the 2011 World Cup final. Jagath Fonseka, in charge of independent Special Investigation Unit on sports-related offenses, revealed the investigation has been concluded. Earlier, former sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said the match was "sold", however, he did not name any player involved. Here is more.
"We will be sending a report to the Secretary, Ministry of Sports who directed us. We have concluded the investigation following an internal discussion held today", Jagath Fonseka told reporters on Friday.
According to Fonseka, the 14-point allegations levelled by Aluthgamage, could not be ratified. "We see no reason why players must be further questioned", Fonseka added. Fonseka's investigation unit interviewed former chairman of selectors Aravinda de Silva, batsman Upul Tharanga, and Mahela Jayawardene. Kumar Sangakkara, who led Sri Lanka in the final was the latest cricketer to be questioned regarding the matter.
Earlier, Aluthgamage submitted a detailed report to back his claims that the ICC World Cup 2011 final was fixed. Speaking during a media briefing, Aluthgamage said he has penned down a report, which comprised several reasons to support his claim.
Reportedly, De Silva and Sangakkara were grilled for over six and 10 hours respectively by the police. This also led to protests outside Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) office on Thursday. Fonseka asserted the three cricketers, who gave statements, had appropriately explained the reasons for sudden team changes in the final. Aluthgamage had raised concerns over four changes in the team selection ahead of final.
The quizzing of former players sparked a huge uproar with the former sports minister drawing criticism for raising the issue after nine years of the event. "We felt that summoning all players to give statement would create an unnecessary uproar," said Fonseka. Aluthgamage said the players who were involved did not play the match, however, he couldn't prove how the match was fixed.
