Colombo, April 29 
The ghost of match-fixing has returned to haunt international cricket with former Sri Lankan skipper Hashan Tillakaratne claiming that his country has been rigging matches since 1992 and questioning the selections for the World Cup final that the team lost to India.

“Match-fixing is something which has been in this country over a period of time. This has spread like a cancer today,” Tillakaratne, who played 83 Tests and 200 ODIs for Sri Lanka, was quoted as saying by ‘The Daily Mirror’. 

The former Lankan captain stopped short of calling the World Cup final on April 2 a fixed match but had some reservations about selection.“I am not saying that this match (the World Cup final) was fixed,” said Tillakaratne.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s Sports Minister Mahindanada Aluthgamage rubbished Tillakaratne’s claims and said that his comments were totally uncalled for.“I deny his comments and Hashan should show proof of match-fixing to the ministry. If he gives us something in writing, we will look into it,” said Aluthgamage. — PTI