Sri Lanka’s former Sports Minister, Mahindananda Aluthgamage said on Thursday that Sri Lanka sold the 2011 World Cup final to India recollecting Cricket’s biggest match-fixing controversies.
Mahindananda Aluthgamage was Sports Minister at the time of 2011 World Cup & is the second senior figure to say that the final was fixed after 1196 World Cup Winning Captain Arjuna Ranatunga. I tell you today that we sold the 2011 World Cup finals,” Aluthgamage told Sirasa TV. “Even when I was sports minister I believed this.”
Aluthgamage was sports minister from 2010 to 2015 & now is the state minister for renewable energy & power. He said, “did not want to disclose” the plot at the time. “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,” he said.
Sri Lanka lost the match to India at Mumbai’s Wankhede stadium by six wickets. However Indian players denied any wrongdoings. 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,” he said in July 2017. “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,” added Ranatunga, who said players could not hide the “dirt”.
During the 2011 World Cup Finals, Sri Lanka batted first & scored 274-6 off 50 overs. They were in a winning position when the legendary batsman Tendulkar left the pitch at 18 runs. But India turned the game dramatically, thanks partly to poor fielding and bowling by Sri Lanka, who were led by Kumar Sangakkara.
Sri Lankan Team has the reputation of being involved in corruption controversies which include claims of match-fixing ahead of a 2018 Test match against England. However Earlier in June, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board said that the ICC was investigating three unnamed former players over the alleged matter of corruption.
