SRI LANKA LOGOCOLOMBO—The Sri Lankan government says it has launched a probe into a bid to bribe members of the national cricket team to under-perform in a recent Test match against West Indies.
The country’s sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera revealed on Friday that a man linked to a bookmaker had offered wicketkeeper Kusal Perera and bowler Rangana Herath tens of thousands of dollars to trigger a batting collapse at a Test in Galle in October.
The Sports Minister disclosed that 10 million rupees (US $70,000) had been offered to the players to lose the match and that Police had mounted a search for the suspect who approached the two players.
“They wanted Sri Lanka to get out early for a very low score. This is a match Sri Lanka was expected to win, but if they lost, the bookie would have made a lot of money,” Jayasekera told reporters.
“After Kusal turned down the offer, the man approached Herath who also rejected the offer and alerted the authorities. We have started a police inquiry in addition to an anti-corruption probe by Sri Lanka Cricket”.
West Indies lost by an innings and six runs after veteran left-arm spinner Herath took 10 wickets in the match. The West Indies, who have never won a Test match in Sri Lanka, lost the series two-nil.
Gayle’s new bat creates a buzz in Australia
BRISBANE—The makers of a new bat being used by T20 superstar Chris Gayle say it does not give the flamboyant opener any special advantage and that the laws of the game have been adhered to. Indian manufacturers Spartan made the gold-coloured bat and flew it over to Australia in time for Gayle’s opening match in the Big Bash League yesterday.
The Jamaican born West Indian cricketer, who plays for Melbourne Renegades has become the first man in world cricket to use a willow of that colour.
“There is no metal in the gold colouring we are using in the bat. There are restrictions on what you can and can’t use in cricket bats,” declared Spartan boss Kunal Sharma.
“And you can’t put metals into bat products because they can enhance stroke play. This bat is fine because we haven’t changed the make-up of it”.
Gayle used the bat to launch a run chase in Renegades seven wicket win over Brisbane Heat in the third match of the BBL on Saturday, smashing two fours and two massive sixes in an exciting innings of 23.
“We have infused a gold colour in the timber wood of the bat and there is sheen of a gold spray over the bat,” Sharma said.
Meantime former Australia commentator Ricky Ponting is suggesting the weight of the bat may work against Gayle in the current BBL. Gayle’s cameo was short-lived, when he was dismissed for 23 after mistiming a pull shot from Mark Steketee’s bowling and was caught at deep square-leg by Lendl Simmons.
“It’s exceptionally heavy. It’s got to be over the three pounds,” Ponting told Channel 10.
“If you get bouncers high enough, it’s got to be difficult to play cross-bat shots because the bat’s so heavy”.
CMC