10 January 2019
Cricket is played for the enjoyment of the players as well as the viewers. But since the advent of the uncontrolled gambling, the joy is only for the book makers. Since most countries including Sri Lanka have some form of government-controlled betting or sweep stakes, this game can be brought under the umbrella of such a body. This way some of the corruption could be eliminated. Match fixing is the worst form of corruption as it affects not only the outcome of the game but also the way in which it is played. A game subject to max fixing will not be joyful to watch.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced a 15-day amnesty for whistle-blowers who have previously failed to report corruption in Sri Lanka. The amnesty will run from January 16-31. The amnesty applies for local players as well as other international persons associated with the sport. Those who make declaration under this amnesty will not be charged for their previous lapses in reporting corruption. Failure to report an approach, incident or information can result in a ban from cricket for up to five years. The world governing body (ICC) has rated Sri Lanka as the most corrupt cricket nation.
Sri Lankan sports minister Harin Fernando said that ICC council felt that the cricket administration in Sri Lanka was corrupt from top to bottom. A match-fixing controversy was exposed by a sting operation carried out for a TV documentary.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) president Thilanga Sumathipala has been accused of holding office despite alleged links to gambling.
Sri Lankan fast bowler Dilhara Lokuhettige was suspended for corruption in November. Lokuhettige was the third player charged for violating the anti-corruption code. Former captain and ex-chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya was charged for concealing information and failing to cooperate with a match-fixing probe by the international body. Former paceman Nuwan Zoysa was suspended over match-fixing accusations. Pakistan Today reported.
