Former Sri Lankan spinner Senanayake arrested for attempting to fix matches during LPL 2020

Karan Agarwal September 6, 2023

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Former Sri Lankan spinner Sachithra Senanayake has been arrested for attempting to fix matches during LPL 2020. The arrest was made under the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act, which was introduced in 2019.

Under this law, “any person who solicits, entices, persuades, or instructs any person… to influence the result, progress, conduct … of any sport, commits the offense of corruption in sports”. This is the first arrest made under this act.

Caught in the Dirty Act

Senanayake who played 49 0DIs, 24 T20Is and one Test for Sri Lanka was not directly involved in fixing matches as he was residing overseas during that period and was in contact with several players playing in the inaugural edition of the tournament. The court also restricted Senanayake’s travel last month after a probe was launched into the matter.

Confirmation that former Sri Lanka cricketer Sachithra Senanayake has been arrested by Sports Anti Corruption Unit of Police. Court had earlier issued a travel ban on the player. In 2019 Parliament passed laws making corruption in sports criminal. This is the first arrest made.
— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) September 6, 2023

The arrest came after Senanayake surrendered himself to the authorities following match-fixing allegations during LPL 2020. The charges against him include attempting to fix games and using a telephone connection from Dubai to coordinate these plans with two other players.

The Controversies

Senanayake had a stop-start career in international cricket. The spinner made his last appearance in ODI cricket for Sri Lanka in December 2015 and played his last T20I in 2016. He was also picked by KKR in IPL 2013 but played only a few games.

He was also reported on Sri Lanka’s tour of England in 2014 for illegal bowling action and was immediately banned from bowling in international cricket. Senanayake did make a comeback after remodeling his bowling action but wasn’t able to replicate the same magic. He was a part of Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup winning team in 2014 and also took 25 wickets in T20Is and 53 in ODIs.

On the domestic front, he played first-class cricket for the Sinhalese Sports Club since 2006 and took a total of 567 wickets in 112 first-class matches. Senanayake was deemed to be the next big thing for Sri Lanka and was seen as a perfect partner for Rangana Herath