Colombo: Former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillekaratne said he will reveal names of those involved in match-fixing only to the International Cricket Council (ICC) first.Tillekaratne claimed in a local TV programme last week that match-fixing has been rampant in Sri Lanka since 1992 and repeated his allegations on Tuesday to the Western Provincial Council, where he was elected to office.Tillekaratne said he will reveal the names of those involved in fixing matches “at the appropriate time.” He declined, for now he said, on legal advice. Within hours of his comments on Tuesday, he was questioned by police for an hour, without further detail.
“I made a statement to the provincial council, I said that I still maintain my stand on the (match-fixing) allegations,” Tillekaratne said.“After I came out with these allegations I have been getting a lot of nuisance calls, death threats, but definitely I will expose all those who are involved in a time to come.”When asked why he has not followed the established procedure of working with the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU), Tillekaratne said, “I will do that in the days to come.” He said he’d been reluctant to voice his allegations until now over fear for his safety.Meanwhile, Muttiah Muralidharan, on Tuesday, felt Tillekaratne should stop making such allegations if he cannot produce any evidence as he might end up getting sued.“I don’t know why he has said this. If somebody is making such claims, he should first give enough proof to support them otherwise someone can sue him,” Muralidharan said.Muralidharan also said he was never been approached by any bookie during his career. “In any case I will tell this to ACSU only. There is a code and all the players follow that,” said Muralidharan.He also rejected suggestions that Tillekaratne’s allegations have tarnished the image of the Sri Lankan cricket. “Hashan has made allegations and only he is answerable for that,” he said.
