Cricket umpires selling themselves. Part 2

Six umpires caught LBW suspended

The International Cricket Council (ICC), along with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), the island’s official cricket body, has suspended six umpires implicated in a recent sting operation.

Footage screened on the Hindi-language India TV on Monday showed what the channel said was officials from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka negotiating deals with under-cover reporters to affect the outcome of matches.

The umpires accused of willing to fix matches in the sting “Operation World Cup” are three Sri Lankans — Sagara Gallage, Maurice Winston Zilwa and Gamini Dissanayake. — Nadir Shah of Bangladesh and Nadeem Ghauri and Anis Siddiqui from Pakistan. The report alleged that a seventh umpire, Sharfudoullah Shahid Saikat of Bangladesh, refused to exchange favours for cash.

The television website quoted Dissanayake, a Premier panel umpire of Sri Lanka, saying, “I told you we agreed. Don’t worry about it. You don’t think about it”, to the reporter’s demand of “undue favours and due favours” to specific players in any matches.

The sting operation claims that as the fourth umpire in the India-Pakistan T20 match last month, Gallage agreed to reveal the match pitch report, weather report, toss report and the playing elevens of both teams for SLRs50,000.

He had also allegedly promised to strike Pakistani batsman Imran Nazir out, even if he was not, in exchange for money in the Sri Lankan Premier League (SLPL).

Gallage, who had purportedly recommended Zilwa to the India TV undercover reporter, had also agreed to make a decision in favour of India in a match by “managing” the match referee and other officials, reported India TV.

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