Former Sri Lankan spin bowler Sachithra Senanayake was the first athlete to be charged with a crime following his capture by Sri Lankan police on Wednesday, in accordance with a 2019 rule that designates match-fixing as a crime.
Senanayake, 38, was detained by a police team investigating sports-related crimes. The police assert that the detention is connected to an incident that happened during the 2020 Lanka Premier League (LPL), despite the fact that formal accusations have not yet been made.
While a police investigation into the allegations was ongoing last month, a court ordered the seizure of Senanayake’s passport. Senanayake is accused of convincing two LPL players to rig games in 2020.
If found guilty, Senanayake faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to 100 million rupees ($309,000), or both.
As Sri Lanka works to eliminate match-fixing, this development has occurred. Former Sri Lankan Sports Minister Harin Fernando, who asserted that Sri Lanka was one of the most dishonest cricket nations in the eyes of the International Cricket Council (ICC), introduced the new rule.
