ICC team in Lanka to question
Ranatunga, DeSilva

An International Cricket Council anti-corruption team will question former Lankan skipper Arjuna Ranatunga and Aravinda DeSilva this week over allegations, that they took bribes to throw away matches.

Officials said that the five-member ICC team led by Sir Paul Condon arrived on Saturday to probe charges against the two top former Lankan players.

They said Ranatunga and Aravinda will be questioned separately by the investigators, whose visit was delayed by over two months due to the England tour of Lanka.

Sports Minister Lakshman Kiriella had said earlier that the board would co-operate with the investigators.

Ranatunga and Aravinda have already made written observations regarding the allegations, first made by alleged Indian bookmaker M K Gupta.

Gupta had reportedly told the Central Bureau of Investigation that he paid $15000 for the Lankan duo to engineer a Lankan defeat in the 1994 Test against India at Lucknow. Ranatunga, who led Lanka to its World Cup victory in 1996, has denied accepting bribes, while Aravinda said he was approached by bookmakers, but did not accept any payment.

UNI

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