Sri Lankan authorities are investigating a bid to persuade members of the national cricket team to underperform in a recent Test to ensure a surprise victory for the West Indies, the government said yesterday.
Sri Lankan Minister of Sports Dayasiri Jayasekera said a man linked to a bookmaker had approached wicketkeeper Kusal Perera and star bowler Rangana Herath to engineer a Sri Lanka batting collapse at a Test in Galle in October, which the hosts went on to win emphatically.
“After Kusal turned down the offer, the man approached Herath, who also rejected the offer and alerted the authorities,” Jayasekera told reporters.
“We have started a police inquiry in addition to an anticorruption probe by Sri Lanka Cricket,” he added in reference to the national cricket board.
Sri Lanka beat the tourists by an innings and six runs after left-arm spinner Herath took 10 wickets in the match.
Jayasekera also suggested that Perera’s recent failure in a doping test might have been because he raised the alarm over the match-fixing attempt.
“It is possible that something was slipped into his food or his urine sample was tampered with to get this result,” Jayasekera said. “We are doing our best to defend him.”
Sri Lanka Cricket chief executive Ashley de Silva said the board could not discuss the case in line with International Cricket Council anticorruption regulations.
“Because of the anticorruption regulations, we cannot say anything,” De Silva told reporters.
However a source in the board confirmed that the organization was conducting its own investigation into the claims.
“The two players brought this to our notice,” said the source, speaking on condition of anonymity.
The Kansas City Chiefs wrapped up a brief visit to Brazil on Friday with a season-opening loss to the Los Angeles Chargers, but despite the defeat, the team outshone their divisional rivals in the fight for the hearts and minds of Brazilian fans. In Sao Paulo for just the second-ever NFL game in the city, Chiefs players — especially quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce — were treated as major celebrities throughout their stay, turning Corinthians Arena into a scene reminiscent of the Chiefs’ Arrowhead Stadium. Before kickoff, crowds of fans gathered around the Chiefs’ tunnel, eager to catch a
New Zealand stayed firm at their Eden Park fortress to claim an attritional 24-17 win over South Africa in a heavyweight clash between the world’s top two rugby sides yesterday. Under pressure after conceding a first-ever defeat on Argentine soil against the Pumas two weeks ago, the All Blacks responded with a performance of grit and discipline to stretch their unbeaten run at their Auckland stronghold to 51 matches. Two well-taken tries by Emoni Narawa and Will Jordan set up a 14-3 lead at halftime before Quinn Tupaea grabbed a third five-pointer for the hosts 13 minutes from time. Well-held for most of
The Wallabies trusted their instincts to keep pushing for a late try instead of a potential equalizing penalty goal late in their Rugby Championship Test match yesterday against Argentina, with prop Angus Bell scoring the clinching try in the sixth minute of added time to give Australia a comeback 28-24 win. The Wallabies were awarded three kickable penalties after the 80th minute, but kept pushing in search of the match-winning try, which was finally delivered by an unlikely hero in reserve prop Bell. “It’s just relieving,” Bell said. “It’s just awesome we could get the win in the end; not go for
RETURN TO FORM: Osaka extended her deepest run in a Grand Slam since returning to tennis after giving birth, putting her in a position to lift the trophy for a third time Reigning champion Jannik Sinner on Wednesday marched into the US Open quarter-finals as Amanda Anisimova avenged her Wimbledon thrashing by Iga Swiatek to set up a last-four clash with Naomi Osaka. World No. 1 Sinner swept aside 10th seed Lorenzo Musetti 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 in the first all-Italian men’s quarter-final in Grand Slam history. “It was a great performance, very solid. I started the match very well,” said Sinner, who faces Canadian 25th seed Felix Auger-Aliassime in the semi-finals today. Auger-Aliassime has won two of three previous meetings, but Sinner thrashed him for the loss of just two games in Cincinnati last month. “Every
RSS