Lanka’s former sports minister says 2011 WC final was ‘fixed’
Team Udayavani, Jun 18, 2020, 6:15 PM IST
Colombo: Sri Lanka’s former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has alleged that his country ‘sold’ the 2011 World Cup final to India, a claim ridiculed by formers captains Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene who demanded evidence from him.
In an interview with local TV channel ‘Sirasa’, Aluthgamage said the final was fixed. Set a target of 275, India claimed the trophy thanks to the brilliance of Gautam Gambhir (97) and then skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91).
‘Today I am telling you that we sold the 2011 world cup, I said this when I was the sports minister,’ Aluthgamage, who was the sports minister at the time, said.
‘As a country I do not want to announce this. I can’t exactly remember if it was 2011 or 2012. But we were to win that game,’ added the politician, who was the state minister of power in the current caretaker government which is in charge until the election to be held on 5 August said.
‘I am telling you with responsibility I felt that the match was fixed. I can debate this, I know people were concerned about this.’ The captain of Sri Lanka at that time, Sangakkara, asked him to produce evidence for an anti-corruption probe.
‘He needs to take his ‘evidence’ to the ICC and the Anti corruption and Security Unit so the claims can be investigated thoroughly,’ he tweeted.
Jayawardene, also a former captain who scored a hundred in that game, ridiculed the charge.
‘Is the elections around the corner…like the circus has started…names and evidence?’ he asked in a tweet.
Aluthgamage said that in his opinion no players were involved in fixing the result, ‘but certain parties were.’ Aluthgamage had also previously hinted that the game was fixed.
Both Aluthgamage and the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa were among the invitees at the final played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga had also called for a probe on alleged match-fixing in the 2011 World Cup final.
Udayavani is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel and stay updated with the latest news.
Top News
Related Articles More
IPL 2024: Kolkata Knight Riders ask Royal Challengers Bengaluru to bat
Block it out, it’s all irrelevant: Smith on Hardik facing boos
Nortje will take time to get better after injury lay-off: DC bowling coach Hopes
Last 3 days I was in bed, I was on painkillers: Parag
RCB batting coach McKenzie backs Maxwell to come out of lean run
MUST WATCH
Latest Additions
Shots fired at private university in Noida, 2 students arrested
Govt cautions people against calls impersonating DoT, threatening to disconnect mobile numbers
Kamlesh Shah quits as Congress MLA from Kamal Nath’s home turf Chhindwara, joins BJP
Congress should fulfil tax obligations instead of levelling allegations against I-T dept: BJP
Chandrababu Naidu promises to develop Rayalaseema region if voted to power