Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Sri Lanka 'sold' 2011 cricket World Cup final, claims former sports minister

Sri Lanka "sold" the 2011 World Cup final to India, the country's former sports minister said on Thursday (18), reviving one of cricket's most explosive match-fixing controversies.

Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was sports minister at the time, is the second senior figure to allege the final was fixed, after 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga.


"I tell you today that we sold the 2011 World Cup finals," Aluthgamage told Sirasa TV. "Even when I was sports minister I believed this."

Aluthgamage, sports minister from 2010 to 2015 and now state minister for renewable energy and power, said he "did not want to disclose" the plot at the time.

"In 2011, we were to win, but we sold the match. I feel I can talk about it now. I am not connecting players, but some sections were involved," he said.

Sri Lanka lost the match at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium by six wickets. Indian players have strongly denied any wrongdoing.

Ranatunga, who was at the stadium as a commentator, has previously called for an investigation into the defeat.

"When we lost, I was distressed and I had a doubt," he said in July 2017. "We must investigate what happened to Sri Lanka at the 2011 World Cup final."

"I cannot reveal everything now, but one day I will. There must be an inquiry," added Ranatunga, who said players could not hide the "dirt".

Sri Lanka batted first and scored 274-6 off 50 overs. They appeared in a commanding position when Indian superstar Sachin Tendulkar was out for 18.

But India turned the game dramatically, thanks partly to poor fielding and bowling by Sri Lanka, who were led by Kumar Sangakkara.

Sri Lankan cricket has regularly been involved in corruption controversies, including claims of match-fixing ahead of a 2018 Test against England.

Earlier this month, the Sri Lankan cricket board said the International Cricket Council was investigating three unnamed former players over alleged corruption.

Sri Lanka introduced tough penalties for match-fixing and tightened sports betting restrictions in November in a bid to stamp out graft.

Another former sports minister, Harin Fernando, has said Sri Lankan cricket was riddled with graft "from top to bottom", and that the ICC considered Sri Lanka one of the world's most corrupt nations.

Former Sri Lankan fast bowler Dilhara Lokuhettige was suspended in 2018 for corruption relating to a limited-overs league.

He was the third Sri Lankan charged under the ICC anti-corruption code, following former captain and ex-chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya, and former paceman Nuwan Zoysa.

Jayasuriya was found guilty of failing to cooperate with a match-fixing probe and banned for two years. Zoysa was suspended for match-fixing.

More For You

MIT-Anantha_Chandrakasan

Chandrakasan was selected from a group of internal candidates, MIT president Sally Kornbluth said in a statement announcing the appointment. (Photo credit: MIT)

MIT

Prof Chandrakasan becomes MIT's first Indian-American provost

PROF ANANTHA CHANDRAKASAN has been appointed as the new provost of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), becoming the first Indian-American to take on the role. Currently serving as MIT’s chief innovation and strategy officer and dean of engineering, Chandrakasan will assume his new position on July 1.

Chandrakasan was selected from a group of internal candidates, MIT president Sally Kornbluth said in a statement announcing the appointment. She said he brings an exceptional record of innovation and leadership to the position.

Keep ReadingShow less
Air India cancels London flight over aircraft unavailability

The flight was scheduled to depart on Tuesday afternoon. (Photo: Air India)

Air India cancels London flight over aircraft unavailability

AIR INDIA’s flight from Ahmedabad to London, operating under a new code following the June 12 crash, was cancelled on Tuesday (17) due to the unavailability of an aircraft. The airline cited airspace restrictions and precautionary checks as the cause.

The service, now listed as flight AI-159, replaced the earlier AI-171 flight which crashed shortly after take-off last Thursday (12), killing 270 people, including 29 on the ground. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner had 242 passengers and crew on board, with only one survivor.

Keep ReadingShow less
Conference highlights religious persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan

Conference at Westminster Highlights Religious Persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan

Conference highlights religious persecution in Bangladesh and Baluchistan

A high-profile conference on religious freedom in Bangladesh and Baluchistan was held at Portcullis House, Westminster, organised by the Dharmic Ideas & Policy Foundation (DIPF), hosted by Bob Blackman MP (Harrow East), and supported by APPG leaders on Freedom of Religion and Belief (FoRB), including Richard James Shannon MP and Julie Jones on 9 June 2025.

Chairing the conference, Mr Blackman condemned the ongoing persecution of minorities in both regions, describing the situation as dire and deteriorating.

Keep ReadingShow less
abortion protests

Protesters hold up placards during a march through central London on June 17, 2023, to call for decriminalisation of abortion. (Photo: Getty Images)

Parliament to vote on abortion law reform for Women

MPs are expected to vote on Tuesday on a proposed change to abortion laws in England and Wales that would prevent women from being prosecuted for ending their own pregnancies.

Under current law, women can face criminal charges for terminating a pregnancy beyond 24 weeks or without the approval of two doctors. The law still carries a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

Keep ReadingShow less
UK heatwave

The spike in temperature is due to a period of high pressure currently centred over the UK

iStock

UK weather forecast says heatwave is coming and it could last for days

Britons are set to enjoy a burst of summer sunshine as forecasters predict a heatwave over the weekend, with temperatures expected to rise higher than those in parts of southern Europe. The Met Office anticipates that the UK could experience its hottest days of the year so far, with the south-east likely to be the warmest region.

Temperatures to reach 32°C in parts of the UK

According to the latest weather forecast heatwave predictions, temperatures could peak at 32°C on Saturday, 21 June, and Sunday, 22 June in areas including London and Kent. These highs would surpass conditions in traditional holiday destinations such as Portugal and southern France.

Keep ReadingShow less