Sachithra Senanayake, former Sri Lanka spinner, arrested on match-fixing charges   

Senanayake has been accused of allegedly trying to fix LPL 2020 matches.

By Jatin Sharma - 06 Sep, 2023

Former Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake has been arrested by Sri Lanka Police on Wednesday, on charges related to match-fixing. According to the police's media division, he is due to be produced in court in the next 24 hours.

Senanayake played international cricket between 2012 and 2016, representing Sri Lanka in one Test match, 49 ODIs, and 24 T20 Internationals. He was part of Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup win in 2014. Renowned for his exceptional precision when bowling the carrom ball, he took 25 wickets in T20 matches and 53 in ODIs overall.

The 38-year-old has been accused of allegedly attempting to convince players to fix in the 2020 Lanka Premier League. He was not a part of the tournament as a player, but is alleged to have contacted more than one player taking part in the LPL. This information was then allegedly conveyed to the tournament's anti-corruption officers.

The arrest was made under the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act, which was introduced in 2019. Last month, a court had also imposed a travel ban on Senanayake, after a probe was launched into the allegations.

(PTI inputs)

By Jatin Sharma - 06 Sep, 2023

TAGS