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KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricket captain Rashid Latif has backed ex-Sri Lanka skipper Hashan Tillakaratne’s claims that match-fixing was deeply rooted in the subcontinent and that Sri Lanka were involved in it for almost two decades.
Tillakaratne’s bombshell triggered a scathing response from his teammates and cricket authorities in Sri Lanka but Latif, a whistleblower himself, has said the claims were extremely plausible.
“I know him personally, he told me about this (match-fixing) in the 1993-94 as well. Nobody knows the subcontinent players better than him and if he reveals the facts then a lot of former cricketers from India, Pakistan and Sri Lanka would be exposed,” said Latif.
“As far as I know Hashan would honour his commitment and it would be extremely damaging for some ex-players of the subcontinent, but everything will be settled down if a deal struck,” stressed Latif, a former Test wicketkeeper.
He also urged the Sri Lankan not to buckle under any pressure and speak his heart out.
In an interview last week, Tillakaratne admitted that Sri Lanka had been fixing games since 1992.
The left-handed batsman, who played 83 Tests and 200 one-dayers for Sri Lanka during his 15-year career, said he was prepared to back up his allegations by naming some of those involved.
“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.
“According to my knowledge, it happened since 1992,” he had said. -PPI
