Sri Lanka’s former spin bowler Sachithra Senanayake was formally indicted on Thursday on charges of match-fixing during the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL).
The 40-year-old, who has refuted the charges against him, was indicted before the high court in the southern city of Hambantota. He is the first national-level player to be prosecuted under the country’s recently introduced anti-corruption law, according to PTI.
Senanayake is accused of influencing two Lanka Premier League players to fix matches. He was arrested in 2023, but is currently on bail.
Also Read | Former Sri Lanka and KKR cricketer Sachithra Senanayake arrested over match-fixing accusations
According to local media reports, he had approached another national player, Tharindu Ratnayake, who was playing for the Colombo Kings at the time.
“Senanayake is also alleged to have contacted two other cricketers participating in the inaugural LPL in 2020 via telephone from Dubai, attempting to persuade them to engage in match-fixing,” a report in the Sri Lankan ‘Daily Mirror’ stated.
Also Read | Sri Lanka spinner Senanayake banned over action
Senanayake last played for Sri Lanka in 2016 and has made 74 international appearances. He also played eight matches for the Kolkata Knight Riders in IPL 2023.
In the same year, he was also banned from travelling overseas by a local court.
According to AFP, Senanayake could be convicted and face a maximum of 10 years in jail, a fine of up to 100 million rupees ($333,000), or both.
In February, Bangladesh’s Shohely Akhter received a ban of five years from all cricket matches after the International Cricket Council (ICC) found her guilty of match-fixing.
She breached five provisions of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code, becoming the first female cricketer to be banned for corruption. The off-spinner, who represented Bangladesh in 13 T20Is and two ODIs, admitted to all the offences.
