Sri Lanka coach charged with match-fixing
The International Cricket Council believes it has foiled attempts to fix Sri Lanka matches after charging one of its coaches with three corruption offences.
Nuwan Zoysa, a former international who played 30 Tests and 95 ODIS from 1997-2007, has 30 days to respond to three charges from the ICC’S anti-corruption unit.
It is understood the charges relate to trying to recruit members of the current Sri Lanka team to fix forthcoming matches. It is not known whether the games in question are related to the current England tour, although in the past the ICC has said it has not received any threats to the Test series which starts next week in Galle.
The allegations against Zoysa are unrelated to an investigation involving Sanath Jayasuriya, one of Sri Lanka’s greatest players, who was charged two weeks ago with failing to cooperate with ICC anticorruption detectives.
Another Sri Lanka coach lower down in the organisation is also expected to be charged.
Zoysa is charged with being part of a conspiracy to fix an international match as well as “directly soliciting, inducing, enticing or encouraging a player” to influence the progress of a match and failing to disclose approaches to “engage in corrupt conduct”.
Zoysa worked at Sri Lanka cricket’s high performance centre, which gave him access to current internationals. The 40-year-old is facing a lengthy suspension if found guilty, although will be able to reduce his ban if he cooperates with investigators.
Alex Marshall, the head of the ICC’S anti-corruption unit, was in Sri Lanka last month to meet with the government and brief the England team. He is due back in Sri Lanka at the weekend to continue his investigation.
Jayasuriya is the biggest name so far to have been charged. He has denied any involvement in fixing and said in a statement he has always acted with “integrity and transparency”. He is understood to be under suspicion from his time as chairman of selectors last year and in particular alleged attempts to corrupt an ODI in Hambantota against Zimbabwe in July 2017.
Zoysa was a left-arm seamer known for being the only player in Test history to take a hat-trick in his first over of a match, against Zimbabwe in Harare in 1999-2000.