The cricket world was already facing one of its biggest corruption scandals in years when allegations involving Sri Lankan cricket emerged in September 2010.
The controversy followed the explosive spot-fixing allegations involving Pakistan players during their tour of England. The scandal had raised questions across international cricket about the influence of bookmakers and the effectiveness of anti-corruption measures.
Sri Lanka was subsequently drawn into the story when reports emerged concerning alleged contact between Sri Lankan players and bookmakers.
Dilshan report disputed
On September 10, 2010, reports circulated claiming that Sri Lankan opening batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan had been monitored by the International Cricket Council’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit because of an alleged connection with a bookmaker.
The report claimed that a Sri Lankan team manager had previously informed authorities after allegations that Dilshan had been seen with a suspected bookmaker at a London nightclub during the 2009 World Twenty20 in England.
Sri Lanka Cricket rejected the suggestion that Dilshan was under investigation.
The board said there was no evidence that any Sri Lankan player had committed wrongdoing and disputed the implication that Dilshan had been involved in a fixing operation. Contemporary reports noted that the Sri Lankan team had followed the ICC’s reporting procedures after the alleged incident was brought to its attention.
A different allegation involving Dilhara Fernando
At the same time, Sri Lanka Cricket confirmed that another incident had been reported to the ICC.
Fast bowler Dilhara Fernando had reported being approached by an individual believed to be connected to betting.
The significance of the incident was that an approach from a bookmaker did not itself establish that a player had agreed to participate in corruption.
Instead, players were expected to report suspicious approaches to the authorities responsible for protecting the integrity of the sport.
Sri Lanka Cricket said that Fernando had done so.
Contemporary reporting from September 10 recorded the board’s position that Fernando had been approached by a bookmaker and that the matter had been reported to the ICC.
A sport under intense scrutiny
The revelations came only weeks after the cricket world had been shaken by allegations against Pakistan players.
Pakistan captain Salman Butt and bowlers Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir had been provisionally suspended by the ICC following allegations connected with deliberately bowled no-balls during the Lord’s Test.
The scandal had triggered a much wider debate about betting, bookmakers, player relationships with agents and the ability of cricket’s governing bodies to identify suspicious approaches before they became corruption cases.
The atmosphere surrounding international cricket was therefore particularly sensitive.
Even an allegation that a player had been seen with a suspected bookmaker could attract international attention.
The difference between an approach and fixing
One of the important distinctions in the Sri Lankan case was between being approached by someone involved in betting and actually participating in match-fixing.
The fact that a player reports an approach is not evidence that the player accepted it.
Indeed, anti-corruption systems rely on players and officials reporting suspicious approaches precisely so that investigators can determine whether a genuine attempt to corrupt a match has taken place.
In Fernando’s case, the fact that the approach was reported to the authorities was therefore significant.
Sri Lanka caught in a global controversy
The allegations placed Sri Lankan cricket in an uncomfortable position at a time when the country’s players were preparing for major international competitions.
Sri Lanka Cricket strongly rejected suggestions that its players were involved in corruption.
The board’s response also reflected the distinction between allegations appearing in overseas media and information formally communicated through cricket’s anti-corruption structures.
The episode nevertheless demonstrated how quickly the international betting controversy could spread from one cricketing country to another.
Looking back
The September 2010 controversy was part of a much larger period of scrutiny surrounding corruption in international cricket.
The Pakistan spot-fixing scandal would eventually lead to major disciplinary and criminal proceedings, while cricket authorities around the world strengthened their monitoring of players, agents and betting activity.
For Sri Lanka, the episode involving reports about Dilshan and the confirmed approach to Dilhara Fernando highlighted the importance of reporting suspicious contact with bookmakers.
It also demonstrated an important principle that was sometimes lost in the sensational coverage of the period:
an allegation was not the same as proof of fixing.
