Former Sri Lankan Cricketer Sachithra Senanayake Arrested on Match-Fixing Charges

Former Sri Lankan Cricketer Sachithra Senanayake Arrested on Match-Fixing Charges

Former Sri Lankan cricketer Sachithra Senanayake has been arrested on Wednesday in connection with match-fixing allegations. Senanayake appeared before the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of the Sports Ministry and is set to be produced before a court later in the day.

Last month, the Colombo Magistrate had issued an order preventing the 38-year-old cricketer from traveling abroad for three months. This decision came following a directive from the Attorney General (AG) to the SIU to file criminal charges against Senanayake.

The charges revolve around Senanayake’s alleged involvement in approaching two cricketers during the inaugural edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) in 2020. It is claimed that he made these approaches via phone from Dubai with the intent to fix matches.

Senanayake, who represented Sri Lanka in 73 white-ball matches and took 78 international wickets, has consistently denied these allegations, asserting that they are false and without merit. An anticipatory bail filed by Senanayake against his potential arrest in 2021 had been rejected by the Colombo Magistrate.