Match-fixing - Tillakaratne denies naming former cricketers

Colombo: Former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne has denied reports that he had named his former teammates Aravinda de Silva and Sanath Jayasuriya as the players who were involved in match-fixing.

In a statement, Tillakaratne said that he hasn't named any cricketer during a meeting with President Mahinda Rajapaksa.

'While my wife Apsari Tillakaratne and Rev. Uduwe Dhammaloka also took part with me in a meeting which had been summoned by His Excellency the President to find out about the earlier statement I had made to this assembly, I would like to insist to this august assembly that there was no mention of any player or person at that meeting' Tillakaratne, who is now an opposition UNP member in the Western Provincial Council, stated at a Council meeting Tuesday.

The Daily Mirror reported that Tillakaratne is co-operating with the Sri Lanka Police and International Cricket Council (ICC), who are investigating the allegations made by him.

'The Criminal Investigation Department summoned me twice and I fully co-operated on both occasions. I would like to insist that I am the plaintiff and not the accused in this case. My telephone numbers have been provided to the ICC to let them contact me at any time they want. Sri Lanka Cricket has also provided me with the telephone numbers of the relevant authorities for me to contact them,' Tillakaratne said.