Tuesday, 26 February, was a solemn day for Sri Lankan cricket.
Still basking in their glory of becoming the first Asian team to win a Test series in South Africa, the Lankan joy evaporated with the news that Sanath Jayasuriya – former captain, 1996 World Cup-winning star, and a legend in the country – had been banned by the International Cricket Council for a breach of its anti-corruption code.
Jayasuriya was slapped with a two-year ban from all cricket after admitting to obstruct an anti-corruption probe by “destroying” the phones which were sought as evidence by the ICC.
While the shocking revelation has silenced the vast majority of the Sri Lankan cricket community, Mahela Jayawardene – another former captain, and a proud son of the soil – has become the first big name to come out and comment on the episode.
Jayawardene, who hung up his boots after the 2015 World Cup but still remains Sri Lanka’s second-highest run-getter in international cricket, lamented a “sad day” for cricket in the country in a Twitter post on Wednesday, 27 February.
“It’s a sad day for SL cricket to see one of their favourite sons getting a two year suspension from ICC. Why not cooperate? If any one loves the beautiful game in our country [they] should expose the corrupted so we protect the next generation.”Mahela Jayawardene
Jayasuriya, while having admitted to the charge and accepted the penalty, subsequently issued a statement claiming the ICC had no evidence of “corruption, betting or misuse of inside information” against him, and that he accepted the charges for the “greater good of cricket”.
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)