SLC wakes up with an independent committee of inquiry
Ravin Wickremaratne
Sri Lanka Cricket on Friday woke up from a long slumber and hurriedly set up an independent committee to study a domestic match-fixing scandal that rocked the country last year.
The appointment comes just days before the election of office bearers but four months after receiving written instructions from the Ministry of Sports.
If the orders were not complied with, the whole committee would have been disqualified from contesting at the May 31 poll as it amounts to a direct violation of the Sports Law (Section 32 ‘A’).
Accordingly, Justice Rohini Marasinghe, a retired Supreme Court judge, will carry out an independent inquiry into the allegations of match-fixing against Panadura Sports Club and Kalutara Physical Culture Club.
The match in question was a first-class fixture in January 2017 at Surrey Village in Maggona, where 603 runs were scored on the final day at 10.28 runs per over and the victory target of 165 was chased down in 13.4 overs by Panadura.
An initial investigation conducted by the SLC saw the players of both sides–Panadura and Kalutara–being banned for one year from all cricketing activities with captains Chamara Silva and Manoj Deshapriya receiving two-year bans. However, the decisions were suspended on player complaints.
The Sports Ministry then appointed President Counsel Palitha Kumarasingha to conduct an independent inquiry. He made nine recommendations. The report implicated SLC’s Assistant Secretary Ravin Wickremaratne, Umpires’ Committee Member T.H. Wijewardene and high ranking officials at the two clubs. But players of both teams were exonerated on technical grounds.
The report also recommended that SLC hold an internal inquiry into the conduct of Wickramaratne, Wijewardene, and key office bearers at Kalutara and Panadura in line with findings against them by an appeals committee.
However, at a press conference in Colombo this week, Wickremaratne pleaded his innocence and called for an end to what he termed a witch-hunt against him. He also said he was never questioned during the course of the inquiry.
“Some media have attacked me saying that I am linked to this issue. I did not watch this match but I have heard of the match. I am a member of the club and a friend of Thilanga. But you can’t use that to attack me,” said Wickramaratne.
“This is a well-organised mudslinging campaign against me. I have never been named. No one has talked to me. No one has asked me to testify. Do you really think an official can fix a match alone? The cricketers have to go out and play. Please don’t destroy my character, because I was not a part of this.”
When questioned whether he accepts the findings of SLC’s own inquiry, Wickremaratne, who serves in the Executive Committee, said he doesn’t believe the match was fixed.