Former Cricket Canada coach Pubudu Dassanayake claimed on camera in the CBC documentary 'Corruption, Crime and Cricket' that he had been threatened by Cricket Canada with contract termination if certain players were not selected. The claim is the third strand of the documentary's allegations against Cricket Canada governance and points at administrative interference rather than at on-field fixing.
Dassanayake, a Sri Lankan former international and experienced cricket coach, served as Cricket Canada head coach across an earlier period. His on-camera allegation in the CBC documentary was that Cricket Canada administrators had pressured him to select specific players, with contract termination threatened if he did not comply.
The allegation is governance-level rather than on-field. It does not, by itself, allege match-fixing in the traditional sense. It does, however, allege administrative interference of a kind that would be sanctionable under the ICC's broader integrity framework if substantiated.
Dassanayake has stood by the on-camera allegations in subsequent statements. Cricket Canada has stated it will cooperate fully with the ICC ACU investigation and has retained external counsel to conduct an internal review.
Earlier period — Pubudu Dassanayake serves as Cricket Canada head coach
10 April 2026 — Dassanayake appears on camera in CBC's 'Corruption, Crime and Cricket'
Alleges Cricket Canada threatened him with contract termination if certain players were not selected
Dassanayake stands by allegations in subsequent statements
Cricket Canada commits to full ACU cooperation and retains external counsel for internal review
Pubudu Dassanayake stands by his on-camera allegation that Cricket Canada threatened him with contract termination if certain players were not selected. Cricket Canada is cooperating with the ICC ACU investigation and has retained external counsel for an internal review.
Cricket Canada
12 May 2026
ICC suspended six months of funding to Cricket Canada over governance failures and financial misreporting — 63% of their total revenue.
Multiple franchises
8 May 2026
The IPL's Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) submitted a formal report to the BCCI in May 2026 flagging "certain anomalies" observed across the league stage: unauthorised persons had been seen in the team dugout, on the team bus, and at team hotels during IPL matches in apparent breach of anti-corruption Standard Operating Procedures. IPL chairman Arun Dhumal confirmed the report publicly and warned that "very stringent action" would be taken if violations continued. Separately, the BCCI tightened protocols after reports that certain franchise owners had been seen mingling with players in restricted areas — a specific interaction prohibited under the anti-corruption framework.
Various county sides
1865-08-01
Despite MCC's attempts to reduce gambling on cricket through the 1840s and 1850s, county cricket in the 1860s still operated in a culture where betting was widespread and where allegations of arranged results circulated freely among those closest to the game. Several county fixtures of the decade generated suspicion among contemporaries that the outcome had been agreed in advance, though the absence of formal investigation meant that no players were ever charged.