Sri Lanka becomes first South Asian Nation to criminalize match fixing

Sri Lanka has become the first South Asian nation to criminalise several offences related to match fixing as its parliament passed all three reading of the bill labeled “Prevention of Offences Related to Sports”. The newest legislation covers all sports and it is believed that the recent investigation by Anti Corruption Unit prompted this bill to be drafted. Recently, Bangladesh’s all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan was handed a two-year ban, with one year being suspended for not reporting a suspected match-fixing offer to the ICC’s ACU.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has been under investigation by the ICC’s ACU since 2017. Former cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya was charged under the ICC Code and he was handed a two-year ban.