Hyderabad: The International Cricket Council (ICC) appointed Sumathi Dharmawardena as the new independent chair of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). Dharmawardena will commence in his new role on November 1, 2024.

The independent chair of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit will oversee and lead the ACU and report potential corruption cases, including but not limited to match fixing, spot fixing, player integrity, to the global cricket board.

The independent chair of the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit is managed at the executive level by the general manager of the integrity arm of the ICC.

A native of Sri Lanka, Dharmawardena, replaces Sir Ronnie Flanagan who retired from the role of the independent chair of the ICC ACU after serving for 14 years.

Dharmawardena has a lot of experience under his belt, including serving as an additional solicitor general at the attorney general’s department of Sri Lanka, in which he represented the Government of Sri Lanka, including the ministry of sport, in many legal matters.

Apart from working with the ICC, the new ACU chair will work with the Interpol and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, investigating corruption in sport. The independent chair will also oversee several investigations and prosecutions under the prevention of offences relating to sports act, an act which Dharmawardena was instrumental in formulating.

The Sri Lankan has also represented the government of Sri Lanka in discussions and negotiations with other global sporting organisations.