Sri Lanka cricket legends Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara ridiculed the claims of former Sports Minister Mahindananda Aluthgamage who alleged that his country “sold” the 2011 World Cup final to India. Both players, who were part of the team that lost the 2007 and 2011 final, asked him to provide evidence for the allegations.

In an interview with local TV channel Sirasa, Aluthgamage said the final was fixed. “Today I am telling you that we sold the 2011 world cup, I said this when I was the sports minister,” Aluthgamage, who was the sports minister at the time, said.

“As a country I do not want to announce this. I can’t exactly remember if it was 2011 or 2012. But we were to win that game,” added the politician, who was the state minister of power in the current caretaker government which is in charge until the election to be held on 5 August said.

“I am telling you with responsibility I felt that the match was fixed. I can debate this, I know people were concerned about this.”

His assertion was met with ridicule from former captain Jayawardene, who scored a hundred in that game. “Is the elections around the corner...like the circus has started...names and evidence?” he asked in a tweet.

Sangakkara, the captain of the team in 2011, added saying that the minister needs to take the evidence and ask the International Cricket Council to investigate.

Former World Cup-winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga had also called for a probe on alleged match-fixing in the 2011 World Cup final. Sri Lanka set a target of 275, India claimed the trophy thanks to the brilliance of Gautam Gambhir (97) and Mahendra Singh Dhoni (91).