Tillakaratne to take fixing claims to ICC

COLOMBO: Former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne said on Tuesday he was ready to share information on alleged match-fixing with the International Cricket Council, the game's world governing body.

Tillakaratne, now an opposition politician, said he will name those
involved in match-fixing to ICC officials, after claiming last week that Sri Lanka players had been fixing matches since 1992.

"I made the statements (about match-fixing) neither to get political
mileage nor to put anyone in an awkward position," he told reporters a day after a police inquiry was ordered into his allegations.

"I made the comments in good faith and I will share the information with the ICC. The exercise was meant to protect the game and the players we all love so much."

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

Hours after speaking to reporters, Tillakaratne was asked to appear before the police Criminal Investigation Department late Tuesday.

"We want to record his statement as part of our investigations into his
claims that certain cricket matches were fixed," police spokesman Prishantha Jayakody said.

Tillakaratne's allegations have raised a storm, with former skipper Kumar Sangakkara challenging him to prove his claims.

"It's interesting to see what he has to say and if he has anything more
than allegations," said Sangakkara, who quit as captain after Sri Lanka's defeat to India in the World Cup final. "It's dangerous to throw names around."