Former sports minister of Sri Lanka, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, has come up with a sensational allegation that Sri Lanka ‘sold’ the 2011 World Cup final to India.
India had reached the finals by defeating Pakistan, while Sri Lanka had beaten New Zealand in the other match. The two hosts of the tournament met in the final which was played in the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai in front of a packed crowd.
Aluthgamage, sports minister from 2010 to 2015 and now state minister for renewable energy and power said to Sirasa TV, "I tell you today that we sold the 2011 World Cup finals.”
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Mahela Jayawardene’s century helped Sri Lanka to 274/6 after Kumar Sangakkara had won the toss and chose to bat first. In reply, Sri Lanka removed Sehwag for a duck and then Tendulkar for 18 runs. However, Gautam Gambhir (97) first with Kohli (35) and then MS Dhoni (91*) kept India in the hunt.
Yuvraj Singh (21*) joined Dhoni, who finished the match by hitting Nuwan Kulasekara for a six on the second ball of the 49th over to make India world champions for the second time, 28 years after their first win in 1983.
"In 2011, we were to win, but we sold the match. I feel I can talk about it now. I am not connecting players, but some sections were involved," Aluthgamage said.
The former sports minister is the second senior SL official to say this after the 1996 World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga. Ranatunga, who was at the stadium as a commentator, has previously called for an investigation into the defeat.
"When we lost, I was distressed and I had a doubt. We must investigate what happened to Sri Lanka at the 2011 World Cup final. I cannot reveal everything now, but one day I will. There must be an inquiry,” he had said in July 2017.
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Earlier this month, the Sri Lankan cricket board said the International Cricket Council was investigating three unnamed former players over alleged corruption.
Another former sports minister, Harin Fernando, has said Sri Lankan cricket was riddled with graft "from top to bottom", and that the ICC considered Sri Lanka one of the world's most corrupt nations.
(AFP inputs)
