Lankans to begin SA tour with gift of sight

Sri Lanka's national cricket team will carry with them a gift of two corneas to restore the sight of two blind fans in South Africa, officials in Colombo said on Friday.

Skipper Sanath Jayasuriya will leave with his team for South Africa on Saturday carrying the corneas, the Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka said in a statement.

Sri Lanka announced the scheme to help blind fans in cricket-playing nations where the game has been tainted by allegations of match-fixing.

BCCSL chief Thilanga Sumathipala started the scheme by sending corneas to Bangladesh to mark that country's first Test match against India last month.

The BCCSL had earlier underlined that Sri Lankan players were spared the embarrassment of being implicated in throwing matches in return for kickbacks from bookmakers.

Last month, the BCCSL appointed a one-man commission to probe the allegations against former skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and his deputy, Aravinda de Silva, who were named as recipients of bribes.

The allegations were contained in a report by India's Central Bureau of Investigation which inquired into charges against players in that country.

The BCCSL named Desmond Fernando, a member of the International Cricket Council's code of conduct committee, to head the probe.

Buddhists in Sri Lanka often donate their organs which they believe will bring them good karma in their next birth.

Mail Cricket Editor