Sri Lanka asks opposition to aid 'fixing' probe

A Sri Lankan minister on Wednesday asked opposition politicians to persuade former national cricket captain Hashan Tillakaratne to assist a probe into his allegations of rampant match-fixing.

Tillakaratne, who sits on a local council as a member of the main opposition United National Party (UNP), claimed last month that Sri Lankan players had been fixing matches since 1992.

He promised to reveal names to the International Cricket Council, but Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage said representatives of the sport's ruling body who travelled to Sri Lanka were unable to see him.

"I appeal to you to ensure that he cooperates with the investigations," Aluthgamage said to UNP legislators during an address in parliament. "The investigators have not been able to make contact with him."

A police probe is also underway into the claims by Tillakaratne, a successful batsman who made his international debut in 1989 and last played for Sri Lanka in 2004.

He told reporters after the Criminal Investigations Department questioned him on May 6 that he was "an eyewitness to match-fixing" and would reveal the identities of those involved as long as his security was guaranteed.

Sri Lankan authorities and the island's top players such as Muttiah Muralitharan and Kumar Sangakkara have demanded he back up his claims with evidence.

The national side has been rocked by similar corruption allegations in the past, but no one has been prosecuted.

Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 one-dayers during a 15-year career, said he had kept quiet for so many years as he feared for his life.

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