A Sri Lankan probe into allegations of fixing in the 2011 World Cup final loss to India intensified after Kumar Sangakkara, skipper of the team, was asked to record his statement on Thursday before the sports ministry’s special investigating unit, domestic media reports said.
Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror newspaper quoted SSP WAJH Fonseka as saying that the investigating unit has summoned Sangakkara to appear at 9 am on Thursday. The probe was ordered after Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was sports minister in 2011, alleged in a media interview that the final was fixed by “certain parties”.
The investigators recorded statements from Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup hero, Aravinda De Silva, who was chief selector during the 2011 World Cup, and Upul Tharanga, who was opening batsman in that match. Aluthgamage had recorded his statement on June 24 before the special investigation unit.
India won the final by six wickets, chasing a target of 275 built on Mahela Jayawardene’s unbeaten 103. Gautam Gambhir (97) and skipper MS Dhoni (91no) led the successful chase at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
“I tell you today that we sold the 2011 World Cup final,” AFP quoted Aluthgamage as saying in the Sri Lankan media on June 18. “Even when I was sports minister I believed this. 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.”
{{/usCountry}}“I tell you today that we sold the 2011 World Cup final,” AFP quoted Aluthgamage as saying in the Sri Lankan media on June 18. “Even when I was sports minister I believed this. 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.”
{{/usCountry}}Jayawardene, who criticised the comments along with Sangakkara, tweeted his response: “Is the elections around the corner Looks like the circus has started Names and evidence?” Aluthgamage told Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror on June 19: “Mahela has said that the circus has started. I don’t understand why Sanga and Mahela are making a big deal about this. I am not referring to any of our players.”
In a fresh tweet that day Jayawardene said: “When someone accuses that we sold the 2011 WC naturally it’s a big deal because we don’t know how one could fix a match and not be part of the playing 11? Hopefully we will get enlightened after 9 years…”
Arjuna Ranatunga, captain of the 1996 World Cup team, had said in 2017: “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.”