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Former Lankan Cricketer Sachithra Senanayake Granted Bail On Match-Fixing Allegations 

image-lmzstajwSachithra Senanayake is produced in Sri Lankan court [X.com]

On Monday, former Sri Lanka cricketer Sachithra Senanayake was granted bail by the Colombo Chief Magistrate's Court following match-fixing allegations.

 Senanayake, 38, was arrested on September 6 on match-fixing charges in the Lanka Premier League in 2020.

As reported by ESPNcricinfo, Senanayake has been granted bail on two guarantors of LKR 5,000,000 each. However, the travel ban will stay in effect. The next hearing for the matter has been decided as December 12, 2023. 

The off-spinner allegedly asked players in the LPL 2020 edition to fix matches while being out of the country. 

The cricketer was arrested under the Prevention of Offences Relating to Sports Act, which came into existence in 2019 and states, 

 "Any person who solicits, entices, persuades, or instructs any person… to influence the result, progress, conduct … of any sport, commits the offence of corruption in sports".

Interestingly, this is the first arrest under this new law. Senanayake featured in 49 ODIs, 24 T20Is and one Test for Sri Lanka between 2012 -2016, claiming 78 wickets with a best of 4 for 13.

The Colombo-born played a crucial role in Sri Lanka's 2014 T20 World Cup-winning campaign and also appeared in the Indian Premier League (IPL) for Kolkata Knight Riders in 2013.  

However, after being reported for illegal action, the off-spinner could never find lost glory despite having made changes in bowling action.