Sri Lanka's former sports minister alleges 2011 World Cup final sold

Colombo, June 18

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Sri Lanka’s former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage has alleged that his country “sold” the 2011 World Cup final to India, a claim ridiculed by former captain Mahela Jayawardene who demanded evidence for it.

In an interview with local TV channel ‘Sirasa’, Aluthgamage said the final was fixed. Set a target of 275, India claimed the trophy thanks to the brilliance of Gautam Gambhir (97) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91).

“Today I am telling you that we sold the 2011 World Cup, I said this when I was the sports minister,” Aluthgamage, who was the sports minister at the time, said.

“I am telling you with responsibility I felt that the match was fixed. I can debate this, I know people were concerned about this.”

His assertion was met with ridicule from former captain Jayawardene, who scored a hundred in that game. “Is the elections around the corner…like the circus has started…names and evidence?” he asked in a tweet.

Aluthgamage said that in his opinion no players were involved in fixing the result, “but certain parties were involved.”

Aluthgamage had also previously hinted that the game had been fixed.

Both Aluthgamage and the then President Mahinda Rajapaksa were among the invitees at the final played at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

Former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga had also called for a probe on alleged match-fixing in the 2011 World Cup final. — PTI