Sachithra Senanayake, a former Sri Lankan cricketer and World Cup champion has been arrested on match-fixing charges. Senanayake voluntarily surrendered to the Special Investigation Unit of the Sports Ministry and is scheduled to appear in court. He stands accused of trying to manipulate match results in the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL). This marks the first instance of a cricketer facing prosecution in Sri Lanka’s cricket history.
Sachithra Senanayake’s match-fixing in LPL 2020
According to reports, Senanayake allegedly made phone calls to two fellow cricketers from Dubai during the inaugural 2020 LPL season, attempting to manipulate match outcomes. In August 2023, the Colombo Chief Magistrate’s Court imposed a travel ban on him as part of a match-fixing investigation. Subsequently, following orders from the Attorney General, the Sports Ministry’s Special Investigation Unit affirmed criminal charges against Senanayake, resulting in a three-month travel restriction.
The Attorney General’s directive led to the initiation of legal proceedings against Senanayake by the Sports Ministry’s Special Investigation Unit. Earlier, Senanayake, 38 years old, denied the allegations, deeming them baseless and saying they made up a deliberate campaign to damage his and his family’s reputation.
Sachithra Senanayake cricketing career
During his cricketing career, Sachithra Senanayake represented Sri Lanka in one Test match, 49 One Day Internationals (ODIs), and 24 T20 Internationals between 2012 and 2016. Renowned for his off-spin bowling skills, he displayed exceptional accuracy in maintaining the correct line and length. In total, he claimed 53 wickets in ODIs and 25 wickets in T20 matches.
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