|| Desk Report ||

Former Sri Lanka skipper Kumar Sangakkara was grilled for nearly 10 hours on Thursday by the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) probing explosive allegations the 2011 Cricket World Cup final was fixed under his leadership.

Sangakkara, 42, was called in to the police SIU for examining the conduct of the final, which Sri Lanka got beaten against India at Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai.

“I came here to give a statement because of my responsibility to the game and respect for cricket,” Kumar Sangakkara said.

“I hope at the end of this investigation, the truth about the allegations made by (former sports minister) Mahindananda Aluthgamage will come out,” Sangakkara told the media after the end of his marathon questioning by the detectives.

The then vice-captain Mahela Jayawardena will also be questioned on Friday.

Earlier, the opener of that match Upul Tharanga was the first for the questioning round. He was questioned by the SIU for over two hours on Wednesday, a day after Aravinda de Silva, chief selector spent more than six hours answering questions about the 2011 World Cup final.

The former wicketkeeper-batsman Sangakkara is the most high profile player to be interviewed in connection with the alleged match-fixing which was brought up by Aluthgamage last month, who was also the Sports Minister during the 2011 competition.

Sangakkara is now the current president of the Marylebone Cricket Club (MCC) in London. Before showing up for the investigation at the SIU on Thursday, the left-handed veteran cricketer said that Aluthgamage’s allegations should be referred to the International Cricket Council (ICC).

“I feel I can talk about it now,” Aluthgamage told a local TV network last month.