Match-fixing probe: Kusal asked to get out below 18
Sri Lanka’s cricket captain Angelo Mathews was summoned on Thursday to the Financial Crimes Division (FCID) and asked to appear again tomorrow to give his views on the match fixing issue that has taken local sports by storm.
National cricketers Kusal Janith Perera and Rangana Herath had been grilled by the FCID for about six hours on January 12, over their own complaints that they were approached to under-perform during the recently concluded West Indies tour of Sri Lanka. National cricketers have been asked to report such incidents without delay if and when they are approached by agents of book-makers active around the world.
Sri Lanka Cricket’s new Secretary Mohan de Silva told the Sunday Times, “It is natural that Mathews as the captain of the Sri Lanka national team would have to explain his side of the story.” He said the national team’s Manager Jerry Woutersz gave a statement to the FCID on Friday.
“We would do everything to ensure the safety and integrity of the national cricketers, but, if a cricketer is involved in any misdeeds we will also ensure that he is given the harshest possible punishment, de Silva said. “When we got wind of this issue, we began to work with the local anti-corruption unit of the ICC (International Cricket Council) and this is the normal course of action. But, somehow the story also attracted the attention of the Sports Minister and he in turn handed the matter to the Police”, he added.
The Sunday Times, however, learns that the names of one of the national team’s fast bowling coach’s Anusha Samaranayake and a net bowler (practice bowler) known only by his first name Gayan had transpired during the preliminary investigations. No further details of their alleged involvement were available. Gayan, who is contracted on a case by case basis, has since been suspended. Samaranayake is likely to be questioned by the FCID as the investigations proceed.
The Sunday Times asked SLC’s new President Thilanga Sumathipala whether the FCID probe was over the alleged match fixing issue or the drug issue for which batsman Kusal Perera is being probed by the ICC and where he faces a four year suspension.The SLC chief said: “by the time we took office, Kusal Perera’s case (having taken a ICC banned performance enhancing substance) had gone to a stage where he had been suspended from taking part in any representative cricket activity. He is facing a four-year ICC ban, if his case is proved. I can only take this matter up with the ICC if Kusal Perera could make an appeal to me, which I am happy to take up.
“I met Kusal, and I learn that he has already retained some lawyers. So we, as a member of the ICC cannot intervene unless the player concerned makes an official appeal. If he makes an appeal I am confident that I can bring him back into the game much earlier than four years”, he said.
In response to allegations that a net bowler is involved in the Kusal Perera purported match-fixing case, Sumathipala said, “we are talking about two different things. One is about his suspension for the alleged use of prohibited substances. Then there is the match-fixing allegation, separately.
“I honestly do not know anything about it (the match fixing allegation). There, the Minister of Sports has referred the matter to the FCID. They are inquiring into it because when Kusal Perera was at the nets, there was a net bowler who was involved with players and this net bowler is supposed to have been influencing cricketers to fix matches.
“At the moment, we do not have enough evidence or information to go after him and now the inquiry has started within the country at the highest level — the FCID. We have to wait till the outcome of that inquiry is over to take a decision.”
The Sunday Times learns that the FCID has been told that Kusal Perera had been approached to get out for a score less than 18 runs in a match against the West Indies. He had been allegedly offered a substantial sum of money, running into several million rupees but the cricketer had turned down the offer and reported the matter to relevant authorities.
Perera, a dashing opening batsman often compared in style and power-hitting to the former batting star Sanath Jayasuriya had been sent lower down the batting order in the match against the Windies first Test and scored 23 runs. He had been under tremendous mental pressure not to get out below 18, a close associate of his had said at the time. Batting at No 7, Kusal Janith Perera made 23 runs batting for 65 minutes facing 31 balls and hit only two fours, in a score of 484 all out.
It is also learned that some other members of the of the national cricket team are also down to be interviewed by the FCID.