Net bowler approached Kusal Perera, Rengana Herath on behalf of bookies

Colombo: A practice net bowler is being suspected in the ongoing probe on a bookie approach made on Sri Lanka’s Kusal Janith Perera and Rangana Herath, Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera said on Friday.

“We will make a complain at the FCID (Financial Crime Investigation Division) against him,” Jayasekera told reporters, adding that the bookies are believed to have approached the two players through the ’net bowler'.

Sri Lanka have started a probe following a complaint lodged by both Perera and Herath that they were approached by bookies to underperform during the Sri Lanka-West Indies Test match played in Galle mid October.

Sri Lanka crushed the Caribbeans in that match.

Perera was subsequently found to have used a banned steroid following a random test.

In the second ‘B’ sample test the use of the substance was confirmed.

Now he awaits the ICC ruling on him, which Sri Lanka said would appeal.

Jayasekera, the sports minister, has raised doubts if Perera’s drug test result was a conspiracy following his reporting of the bookie approach.