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Sri Lanka's 2016 Test win over Australia in Galle reportedly fixed

Twizzle

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Sri Lanka's 2016 Test win over Australia in Galle reportedly fixed
By WWOS staff
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Allegations of match fixing and pitch doctoring have hit cricket once again with fresh claims that the Galle Test match between Australia and Sri Lanka in 2016 was rigged by underworld figures who reached out to a member of the ground staff.

A new documentary to be released by Al Jazeera alleges criminals placed large bets on the match not ending in a draw. The fixers got their wish with a result coming in just over two days.

Australia collapsed on the third day losing the match by 229 runs. The tourists lost 20 wickets in just over 500 balls with Sri Lanka’s spinners proving to be a nightmare on a pitch that was doctored.

http%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F05%2F26%2F10%2F21%2F2605_srilanka_env3.jpg

Australia's Adam Voges after being bowled out in Galle 2016.

It’s alleged a section on the pitch where the spinners would land the ball had been severely impacted.

Australia was heavily criticised for their performance in that match with several batsmen scoring in single digits. Furthermore, Usman Khawaja and Joe Burns were cut from the team following the dismal showing.

The Al-Jazeera team secretly recorded former first-class player Robin Morris, Dubai-based Indian businessman Gaurav Rajkumar, former Sri Lankan star Terindu Mendis and the Galle stadium assistant manager, Tharanga Indika discussing the scam.

The men can be heard explaining how wire brushes used to sweep the pitch were used more firmly to gain the effect.

http%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F05%2F26%2F10%2F21%2F2605_srilanka_env2.jpg

Sri Lanka celebrate after the 2016 victory in Galle.

“One thing he can do during the match is the brush thing,” Mendis explained.

“You just do it slowly. What they do then is press it inward,” Morris added.

In the documentary, groundsman Indika openly talks about how he can make the pitch spinner friendly and extremely difficult for batsmen.

“In that five-day match, we prepared the wicket poorly without using a roller. In that way we made a spinning wicket,” he said.

Vision also captures Morris motioning towards Indika, explaining how it happens.

“What happens is he — we — can make a pitch to do whatever we want it to do.

“Because he’s the main curator. He is the assistant manager and curator of the Galle stadium.

“Yes, if you want a pitch for spin bowling or pace bowling or batting, it can be done,” Indika said.

“We leave the wicket uncovered for about two weeks. Don’t water it and this will cause damage to the wicket,” he says.

The ICC is investigating the claims while the men captured in the vision say they thought they were taking part in a movie.

https://wwos.nine.com.au/2018/05/26...tch-fixing-australia-vs-srti-lanka-galle-2016
 

TheParraboy

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When I read the headline thought, oh shit what have we done here now

wouldn't be surprised if there is others
 

Twizzle

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150,753
and now this

Australian batsmen accused of match-fixing in India
6:14am May 28, 2018

The scandal-plagued Australian cricket team is now facing allegations of match-fixing from two criminals in an Al Jazeera documentary aired at the weekend.

The network's investigative unit has accused two Australian batsmen of taking bribes from an Indian crime syndicate to underperform in test matches.

The "spot fixes" were allegedly carried out in matches between India and England in Chennai in December 2016 and India and Australia at Ranchi in March last year.

http%3A%2F%2Fprod.static9.net.au%2F_%2Fmedia%2F2018%2F05%2F28%2F06%2F09%2F20170320001300793235original.jpg

The match-fixing claims were made about a game between Australia and India in Ranchi last year. The players pictured are not named in any part of the Al Jazeera story. Picture: AAP
The claims come just months after Cricket Australia was rocked by the ball-tampering scandal that saw captain Steve Smith, vice-captain Dave Warner and Cameron Bancroft rubbed out of the game for up to a year.

Mumbai match-fixer Aneel Munawar was secretly recorded telling Al Jazeera's undercover investigators to bet on games based on his information.

"I'm telling you, each script I give you will happen, happen and happen," Munawar said.

"60 to 70 percent of matches we can set," he said in the documentary, adding he had been involved in match-fixing for "six to seven years".

Aneel Munawar is accused of paying players to slow down matches in 2016 and 2017.

Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland said there was no credible evidence linking Australian players to corruption.

Sutherland yesterday called for the unedited evidence to be made available to an ICC investigation team.

Crucially, there is no time stamp on the footage, and there is no audio of any Australian player present in the documentary.

There was also no way for fixers to know which two batsmen would be batting together at any time in a match, while Australia fought out for a draw.

Undercover reporters met with the match fixers pretending to want to make bets on the outcomes of games. Picture: Al Jazeera
"Although not having been provided an opportunity to view the documentary or any raw footage, our long-standing position on these matters is that credible claims will be treated very seriously and fully investigated," Sutherland said in a statement.

"Cricket Australia will continue to fully co-operate with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit in its review of the matter.

"Cricket Australia and the ICC take a zero-tolerance approach against anyone trying to compromise the integrity of the game.

"Neither the ICC or Cricket Australia is aware of any credible evidence linking Australian players to corruption in the game," Sutherland said in a statement.

"We urge Al Jazeera to provide all unedited materials and any other evidence to the ICC investigation team, so, if appropriate, a full and thorough investigation can be conducted."

The documentary is the same one that claimed pitches were doctored to achieve desired results at Galle International Stadium in Sri Lanka.

Australia were heavily beaten by 229 runs inside three days in 2016 at the coastal ground.

The ICC confirmed earlier this week they were aware of the allegations made in the documentary, but they have not had the chance to view the full brief of evidence used by Al Jazerra.

It's understood Cricket Australia have also contacted players this week to alert them of the allegations.


https://www.9news.com.au/national/2...atch-fixing-allegations-india-test-al-jazeera
 

JJ

Immortal
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meh, you don't need to doctor a pitch to expose Khawaja and Burns against spin... amateurs
 

Eelectrica

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20,977
Unless several million dollars is on offer, I don't see why any Australian player would agree to spot fixing. They can earn a lot more legitimately these days.

Perhaps a fringe player could be convinced, but even then, with all the T-20 tournaments, it seems they'd be better off not risk being banned for life.
 
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