Sri Lanka asks ICC to probe match-fixing claims
Cricket
The board asked ICC anti-corruption chief Alex Marshall to visit Sri Lanka.
COLOMBO (AFP) - Sri Lanka s cricket board said Wednesday it had invited the sport s world governing body to investigate match-fixing allegations stemming from Pakistan s July tour of the island nation.
The move comes weeks after opposition lawmaker Nalin Bandara claimed in parliament that the two-match Test series, drawn 1-1, had been fixed.
The board asked International Cricket Council (ICC) anti-corruption chief Alex Marshall to visit Sri Lanka and investigate the accusation, which it said had caused "immense reputational damage".
Sri Lanka Cricket was committed to the game s integrity and believed an ICC probe was "the correct course of action to take in light of the recent allegations", a board statement said.
Corruption allegations and infighting have plagued Sri Lanka s national cricket team over the years.
Former sports minister Harin Fernando has said the ICC considered Sri Lanka one of the world s most corrupt nations under its purview.
One of his predecessors, Mahindananda Aluthgamage, told parliament last year that match-fixing was rife in Sri Lanka.
The series against Pakistan was played at Galle during the height of Sri Lanka s economic crisis this year, which saw months of political unrest, power cuts and nationwide fuel shortages.
