Report: Fixers Lure Groundsmen During India-Sri Lanka 2017 Galle Test

Upcoming England’s tour of Sri Lanka slated to be held later in the year might be in jeopardy after an investigative report from Al Jazeera revealed the officials of Galle International Stadium trying to fix a couple of Test matches.

The first one was in 2016 and the next one in 2017. As per reports, they were in readiness of fixing another Test during the tour of England scheduled later in the year. However, before carrying out their operation, they were caught.

The two Test matches which got fixed was one against Australia in 2016, the second match of the series and an another against India in 2017, the first Test of the series.

The Aussie ended up losing the Test series by a 3-0 margin. They were thumped by 229 runs in the Galle Test. Meanwhile, India won the Galle Test by 304 runs. It was the same venue where India lost the first Test of their series against Sri Lanka back in 2015.

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Robin Morris, a match-fixer has accepted the charges of bribing the match official to alter the pitches. The apex body of the International Cricket Council  (ICC) has also decided to launch an inquiry into the matter and those who found guilty in the fixing saga will be dealt with severely. This could surely have a huge impact on England’s Island tour

The English team is scheduled to play their first Test at the Galle International Stadium. As per reports, the English Cricket will come to a conclusion only after the ICC discloses their verdict.

“ECB is aware of the planned Al Jazeera documentary, though not the full content. We endorse the ICC’s position and fully support their work and investigations,” an ECB spokesperson said.

England was scheduled to tour Sri Lanka during the month of October-November. The tour will comprise of five One-day Internationals, three Tests, and a solitary Twenty20 International.

Before that tour, South Africa is also slated to tour Sri Lanka in July-August. The first game is expected to be played ay Galle from 12th July.

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