Sri Lanka police to investigate match-fixing allegations levelled by former captain Hashan Tillakaratne

Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 one-dayers, claimed last week that Sri Lankan players had been involved in match-fixing since 1992.

“I have asked the inspector-general of police to investigate these claims and give a report to me,” Mahindananda Aluthgamage said on Monday.

“Match fixing is something which has been in this country over a period of time. This has spread like a cancer today,” Tillakaratne was quoted as saying by Sri Lanka’s Daily Mirror newspaper on Friday.

“There were threats of this issue being exposed at various times. But it was kept quiet by giving money to various people.

“If the people who were responsible for that are listening to this, I state this today with great responsibility, I will shortly reveal the names of those responsible,” he said.

However on Sunday, Sri Lanka's World Cup captain Kumar Sangakkara challenged Tillakaratne to prove his allegations.

“Hashan has played the game for years and he’s captained Sri Lanka as well. So it’s interesting to see what he has to say and if he has anything more than allegations,” Sangakkara said.

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Pakistan police arrest gang linked to threats against Zulqarnain Haider

Pakistani police say they have arrested a gang of bookmakers who were allegedly behind death threats sent to wicketkeeper Zulqarnain Haider.

Haider fled the Pakistan team hotel in Dubai last November hours before a one-day international against South Africa. He flew to London where he applied for asylum after saying that an unknown person had threatened him for not co-operating in fixing the one-day series.

"We arrested eight bookmakers yesterday and some of them have confessed they had the threatening calls made to Zulqarnain," said Nasir Qureshi, a senior investigating officer.

The bookmakers were from the Sambrial area near Sialkot in the eastern province of Punjab.

Haider has now returned to Islamabad after receiving reassurances from Pakistan's interior minister, Rehman Malik, about his safety and security. Qureshi said the arrested men appeared to be well-connected and deeply involved in gambling on international matches.

"We have recovered around 250 mobile and landline sets from them, some ammunition, records and computers," he said.

Haider is still in Islamabad and is awaiting security clearance from authorities to go to his hometown of Lahore.

The 25-year old wicketkeeper has been told to appear before the Pakistan Cricket Board disciplinary committee to respond to charges that he left the team without informing the team management, which was a violation of his contract.

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