Former Sri Lanka international Sachithra Senanayake was arrested by Sri Lankan police on Wednesday, September 6, on charges related to match-fixing. The off-spinner is set to appear in court within the next 24 hours, according to the police.
Senanayake, who is 38 years old, has been accused of attempting to persuade players to fix matches during the 2020 edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL). While Senanayake himself did not participate in that edition of the tournament and is believed to be outside Sri Lanka, he is alleged to have contacted several players who were playing in the tournament with the intent of fixing matches.
It is reported that Senanayake’s efforts came to the attention of the tournament’s anti-corruption officers, which led to his arrest under the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act. This law was introduced in 2019 to combat corrupt practices in Sri Lankan cricket.
According to the law, “any person who solicits, entices, persuades, or instructs any person… to influence the result, progress, conduct… of any sport, commits the offence of corruption in sports.” Senanayake is the first individual to be arrested under this law.
The investigation into this matter began last month, and the cricketer was prohibited from leaving the country during the investigation.
Sachithra Senanayake made his debut in the 2011-12 season and went on to represent Sri Lanka in one Test match, 49 One-Day Internationals (ODIs), and 24 Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). He played a crucial role in Sri Lanka’s 2014 T20 World Cup victory, where they defeated India in the final by six wickets. During the tournament, he took four wickets in six matches, with his best figures being 2/3.
In ODIs, Senanayake has a total of 53 wickets to his name, with a best performance of 4/13. In T20Is, he claimed 25 wickets, with a best performance of 4/46.
Senanayake’s career faced controversy when his bowling action was reported in 2014. However, he later returned to international cricket with a remodeled action, but his career took a downturn afterward.
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