The silence has been broken

Charlie Austin06-May-2001The silence has been broken. Arjuna Ranatunga, the former Sri Lankan captainaccused of fixing matches by bookmaker Mukesh Gupta in the Central Bureau ofInvestigation (CBI) report, has lashed out at the recently dissolved cricketboard and Desmond Fernando, the chief investigator of the cricket boardinquiry, for taking the “patently ridiculous” allegations seriously.Ranatunga, who was questioned by Fernando and two detectives from the ICC’sAnti Corruption Unit (ACU) earlier this week, denies any involvementwhatsoever with bookmakers throughout his international career in a formalwritten response to Fernando, the contents of which were printed in full bythe Sunday Leader today.The former captain’s indignant letter claims that the allegations, “basedentirely on the wholly uncorroborated evidence of a self-confessed rogue”,represent an attempt to rubbish his name by the former cricket board, whohad sacked his brother, Dammika Ranatunga, as Chief Executive of the board.”The very fact that the recently dissolved Executive Committee of the BCCSLhas purported to take these allegations seriously makes evident the factthat the majority of the members have been actuated by `Mala Fides’ againstme,” he said.Ranatunga attacks Fernando for taking the allegations seriously. “I amamazed that you, Mr Desmond Fernando, President’s Counsel, who is said to bean experienced and eminent counsel, have evidently failed to advise the boardthat these allegations are so utterly and patently unsubstantiated andunworthy of credit that no other proceedings need to be taken on them.”He defends his reputation, stating: “I have always played cricket for andonly for the love of the game and have never sought to make cricket abusiness or a means of amassing personal wealth,” adding that he has neverappeared in a advertisement for his personal gain, and pointing out that bydoing so he has “passed up the opportunity of making a colossal amount oflegitimate money”.He goes on to reveal why he believes the allegations to be “so patentlyridiculous”, after denying that he knows Mukesh Gupta or has had any dealingwith a bookmaker.Responding to the allegation that he agreed to under-perform in a Test matchagainst India in 1994, he points out that Sri Lanka had lost two consecutiveseries to India and one to South Africa. Moreover, they had never won a Testmatch on Indian soil. In these circumstances he asks the question: “Is iteven scarcely conceivable that a bookmaker would offer bribes to any SriLankan cricketer to `under-perform’ in any match against India on Indiansoil?”He derides the logic of Gupta’s evidence, pointing out that: “I appear tohave agreed to have under-performed without any kind of negotiation withregard to the price of betrayal. Even Judas Iscariot agreed upon a price of30 pieces of silver before he betrayed Jesus Christ!”Further, according to Gupta, he had paid Aravinda a sum of US $15,000 tounder-perform but makes no mention of having made any payment to me. Itwould appear from his statement that I have betrayed my country, my peopleand my team just to oblige Gupta,” he says, before adding that “this is sofanciful that it defies belief”.The long letter goes on to question why Gupta would pay Manoj Prabhakar foran introduction with Aravinda in 1991, but not make use of this investment forthree years? Why did Prabhakar need Aravinda to introduce Martin Crowe toGupta when Crowe was well known to Prabhakar? Why, if they had agreed “to doother Tests”, as is alleged, did Gupta not make use of this in 1996 or afterwhen Sri Lanka were riding high in international cricket and the odds wheretherefore far more favourable?He signs off by demanding that the BCCSL do not harass and insult acricketer again in the future just because of “a scurrilous complaint by anunsavory character”, stating that “I believe that our cricketers deservebetter treatment than this”.Desmond Fernando is expected to submit an interim report on match-fixing tothe Sri Lankan board within two weeks. Vijaya Malalsekera, the Chairman ofthe Interim Committee, said recently that the contents of the report wouldbe revealed to the ICC before a decision on the correct course of action.