<p>Sri Lankan police on Friday dropped a criminal investigation into the 2011 cricket World Cup final, saying they found no evidence of match-fixing by players to let their Indian opponents win.</p>.<p>Former chief selector Aravinda de Silva, and the team's skipper Kumar Sangakkara and opening batsman Upul Tharanga were questioned this week over suspicions that have dogged the match for years.</p>.<p>"We are satisfied with their explanation," a top police official told AFP. "The inquiry is now closed."</p>.<p>"They had reasonable explanations about the changes that were made to the final squad," the officer added. "We found no evidence of any wrongdoing."</p>.<p>Sri Lanka made four changes to the team that lost to India at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium.</p>.<p>The sudden decision to end the investigation came after the 2011 team's vice-captain Mahela Jayawardena went to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) office to give a statement.</p>.<p>"We will give our maximum cooperation," Jayawardena told reporters before leaving the SIU when officers refused to accept his testimony and told him to return later.</p>.<p>Jayawardena had been called in after Sangakkara was grilled for nearly 10 hours by detectives on Thursday.</p>.<p>The investigation has led to a social media backlash against the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.</p>.<p>The probe was triggered by Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was the sports minister in 2011 and is a current state minister after he alleged that the final was thrown by Sri Lanka.</p>.<p>Another former sports minister Harin Fernando, who introduced anti-corruption laws in November, said Aluthgamage should be prosecuted for making a false allegation against cricket legends.</p>.<p>Match-fixing was made a criminal offence in the new law. Offenders face fines of up to 100 million rupees ($555,000) and up to 10 years' jail.</p>.<p>Aluthgamage faced a widespread backlash in the cricket-mad country for implicating former players in match-fixing</p>.<p>There was no immediate comment from Aluthgamage over the cancellation of the investigation.</p>.<p>Sangakkara, who is also president of England's prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club, had asked Aluthgamage to refer his allegations to the International Cricket Council.</p>
<p>Sri Lankan police on Friday dropped a criminal investigation into the 2011 cricket World Cup final, saying they found no evidence of match-fixing by players to let their Indian opponents win.</p>.<p>Former chief selector Aravinda de Silva, and the team's skipper Kumar Sangakkara and opening batsman Upul Tharanga were questioned this week over suspicions that have dogged the match for years.</p>.<p>"We are satisfied with their explanation," a top police official told AFP. "The inquiry is now closed."</p>.<p>"They had reasonable explanations about the changes that were made to the final squad," the officer added. "We found no evidence of any wrongdoing."</p>.<p>Sri Lanka made four changes to the team that lost to India at Mumbai's Wankhede stadium.</p>.<p>The sudden decision to end the investigation came after the 2011 team's vice-captain Mahela Jayawardena went to the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) office to give a statement.</p>.<p>"We will give our maximum cooperation," Jayawardena told reporters before leaving the SIU when officers refused to accept his testimony and told him to return later.</p>.<p>Jayawardena had been called in after Sangakkara was grilled for nearly 10 hours by detectives on Thursday.</p>.<p>The investigation has led to a social media backlash against the government of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa.</p>.<p>The probe was triggered by Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was the sports minister in 2011 and is a current state minister after he alleged that the final was thrown by Sri Lanka.</p>.<p>Another former sports minister Harin Fernando, who introduced anti-corruption laws in November, said Aluthgamage should be prosecuted for making a false allegation against cricket legends.</p>.<p>Match-fixing was made a criminal offence in the new law. Offenders face fines of up to 100 million rupees ($555,000) and up to 10 years' jail.</p>.<p>Aluthgamage faced a widespread backlash in the cricket-mad country for implicating former players in match-fixing</p>.<p>There was no immediate comment from Aluthgamage over the cancellation of the investigation.</p>.<p>Sangakkara, who is also president of England's prestigious Marylebone Cricket Club, had asked Aluthgamage to refer his allegations to the International Cricket Council.</p>