Former Sri Lanka spinner arrested

COLOMBO (Agencies): Former spin bowler Sachithra Senanayake was on Wednesday arrested on allegations of match-fixing under a Sri Lankan law aimed at stamping out corruption in cricket in the country.

The 38-year-old was taken into custody by a police unit investigating sports-related crimes, a police spokesman told AFP. Formal charges were yet to be filed, but the spokesman said the arrest was in connection with an incident from the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

A court impounded Senanayake’s passport last month during a police investigation into the allegations. Senanayake, 38, last played for Sri Lanka in 2016 and made 74 international appearances. He is accused of influencing two LPL players to fix matches in 2020. Police said Senanayake is the first player to fall foul of a 2019 law that makes match-fixing a criminal offence. A convi