Refuting the 2011 World Cup final fixing allegations labelled by former Sri Lanka sports minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage, batting great Aravinda de Silva has requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Indian government to conduct an impartial inquiry. (More Cricket News)
De Silva, who was the Chairman of Selectors of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), also invoked Sachin Tendulkar's name to drive his point that people should not get away with lies all the time. He said legends like Tendulkar deserve the respect earned after the triumph.
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“We cannot let people get away all the time with lies. I request everyone, ICC, BCCI, and SLC to investigate this immediately," de Silva told Sunday Times. “Just like we cherished our World Cup victory, players like Sachin (Tendulkar) cherish these moments for the rest of their lives. I think in the interest of Sachin and the millions of cricket fans across India, it’s the duty of the Indian government and their cricket board to initiate an impartial inquiry to see whether they
have won a fixed World Cup."
India defeated Sri Lanka in the final at Mumbai, thus giving Tendulkar a much-deserved World Cup medal.
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"When serious allegations like these are being made, it affects a lot of people. In this case not only us, the selectors, the players, and the team management but Indian cricketers who deservingly won the world title. We need to clear this once and for all for the greater good of the game we love," he added.
In an interview with a local TV channel, Aluthgamage said that the 2011 World Cup final was fixed. "Today I am telling you that we sold the 2011 world cup, I said this when I was the sports minister," Aluthgamage claimed.
Other Sri Lankan legends like Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene have also dismissed the claim.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka has ordered an investigation into the allegations with sports minister Dullas Alahapperuma asking for a report on its progress every two weeks.
On April 2, 2011, India had won their second ODI World Cup title riding on the heroics of Gautam Gambhir and then skipper MS Dhoni. Batting first, Sri Lanka posted a commanding total of 274/6 in 50 overs with Mahela Jayawardene (103*) slamming an unbeaten ton.
Chasing the target, half-centuries from Gambhir (97) and Dhoni (91*) helped the team get over the line with 10 balls to spare.
