Rumours that Charlie Austin got commission ... a hoax -- Sangakkara

Rumours that Charlie Austin got commission ... a hoax -- Sangakkara

Former Sri Lanka senior cricketer Kumar Sangakkara made a speech to the media yesterday across skype with regard to the point that his name too is linked in the Cricket crisis and Charlie Austin which has circulated around these days.

"I have no power to bring anybody to the country or to expel someone from the country. I think it was from about 2004 that I engaged Charlie Austin as my Manager and before that he was in service as Mahela Jayawardena's
Manager. I engaged Charlie Austin in order to advance my game of cricket, to show skill and from there onwards to manage other tasks and activities. But Charlie Austin of course didn't employ me as such. That's

because Charlie Austin works for me.

Sports Management is not something new to Cricket in the world. Every player around the world works in unison with a Private Manager or group of Managers. They are there only for duties beyond National Cricket. There's no alliance with the Manager where National Cricket is concerned. The Private Manager does not get involved in the contract given to us by the Cricket Control Board or ICC Cricket. Neither does any share of that money flow to their pocket. They can't make any impact whatsoever. What is humorous is the point that we are used as scapegoats by Charlie Austin to create influence when we are holding the position of Captain or now and about using a present Captain to operate as his mouthpiece. Charlie Austin gains no profit even if he does so. He doesn't receive any money from it either.

If I am a Captain my captainship depends on match victories. If matches are lost ... my captainship is gone. If I don't show skills ... my cricketing life too is over. My duty rests not on the requirements of a manager or of the necessity of another or to make a favourite player of mine play the game but to place before the Selection Committee as to the players who are capable of effecting a victory.

If you are to say so ... I have worked with Presidents of the Selection Committee such as Asantha de Mel and Aravinda de Silva. It is a humiliation to them also when somebody from outside says something like this. If considered truly, this is an attempt to prevent speaking out by diverting our minds in another direction towards a conspiracy without talking about what is necessary but for the sake of the necessity of some others. It may be for mine or for Mahela's ... these things may be done to make a blackmark on our characters. If the truth or falsity is discussed and this is viewed with proper understanding, it would be automatically understood that there's no truth in this".