SLC suspends individuals involved in ‘pitch-fixing’ incident; CID to probe

Sri Lanka Cricket have suspended with immediate effect the individuals said to be involved in the pitch-fixing incident in Galle last year and against whom the International Cricket Council are carrying out investigations.

The SLC also said that it will lodge a complaint with the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to look into the accusations of pitch-fixing.

A documentary aired by the Al Jazeera channel on Sunday (May 27) showed Tharanga Indika, the Galle Stadium assistant manager and curator, claiming to be able to prepare a pitch to suit the desired outcome, as per the instructions of Robin Morris, the former Mumbai and Odisha batsman. 

The match in question was the first India-Sri Lanka Test in Galle in July 2017, which India won by 304 runs on their way to a 3-0 series sweep.

Following a letter from Faiszer Musthapa, the Sri Lankan minister of sports, the executive committee of SLC met on Sunday evening and ‘decided to suspend with immediate effect the alleged individuals involved in the said incident against whom ICC is carrying out investigations’.

Among other decisions taken at the EC meeting were that SLC would complain to the country’s Criminal Investigations Department against persons allegedly involved in pitch-fixing as reported in the documentary.

Promising to ‘fully cooperate and offer all assistance to the ICC’ on their investigations on the said documentary, the SLC said it had wider allegations globally. 

SLC also appointed a three-member panel consisting of Mohan de Silva, Air Commodore Roshan Biyanwila and Channa Weerakkody to submit a report within three days, making recommendations on ‘the existing protocols applying to the management and staff of every venue and to implement safeguards to prevent occurrences of such incidents in the future’.

-With inputs from agencies