Sri Lanka prepares to investigate 2011 WC final loss to India
Sri Lanka sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera has stated that he is open to ordering an investigation into the 2011 World Cup final played between India and Sri Lanka. Earlier, Arjuna Ranatunga had accused the country’s players of performing below par and demanded an investigation into the same.
Everything is not going well in the Sri Lanka cricket as their sports minister has raised doubts on his own players and stated that he is willing to order a probe into the 2011 World Cup final where they lost to India.
"Let anyone make a written
Jayasekera responded after the country's World cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga blamed the Sri Lankan team for surrendering to the Indian team after posting an impressive 274 runs on the score board. Earlier, Ranatunga said, “I was also in India giving commentaries at the time. When we lost, I was distressed and I had a doubt. “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.”
Before Jayasekera, his predecessor Mahindananda Aluthgamage had fanned the flames when he came out and told to a local media that there were many such suspicious incidents concerning the game which he told the then cricket management committee to investigate. For instance, a senior Sri Lankan player had smoked as many as over 50 cigarettes in the dressing room during the game and the then captain offered to resign immediately after the game without any reason to do so.
Management raised all these questions after Sri Lanka’s first ever loss to Zimbabwe in the 50-over format. In the aftermath, Angelo Mathews had stepped down from the captaincy in all formats after registering a 3-2 ODI series defeat at home to Zimbabwe team.
In response to Ranatunga’s allegations, Kumar Sangakkara, who led the team in the 2011 WC final, demanded an investigation into the decision to visit Pakistan in 2009. The Sri Lankan team bus was targeted by gunmen in Lahore resulting in injuries to several players. After this incident, all international teams decided not to tour Pakistan leading to a boycott that has existed until now.
