Sri Lankan cricket has been rocked by the news that Sanath Jayasuriya, the nation’s pioneering former opener and World Cup winner, has been charged by the International Cricket Council with two counts of breaching its anti-corruption code.

The accusations against the 49-year-old relate to “failure or refusal to co-operate” with an ongoing ICC investigation into alleged match-fixing in the country, as well as “concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant”.

It is understood the investigation surrounds events during Jayasuriya’s second spell as Sri Lanka’s chairman of selectors, from April 2016 to August 2017, with suspicions over the fourth ODI between Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe in Hambantota in July last year – a match won by the tourists en route to a 3-2 series victory – prompting the investigation.

Alex Marshall, the ICC’s anti-corruption chief and former British chief constable, was in Sri Lanka last month along with members of his team in order to gather evidence. It is said to be one of three live investigations into possible corruption in the country taking place at present, with further individuals expected to face charges in the coming weeks.

These are said to relate to current members of the national team being approached to fix matches by would-be corruptors. Both Sri Lanka and England’s cricketers were given a briefing by the ICC’s anti-corruption unit before the ongoing one-day series, which the tourists currently lead 1-0 after two games.

An ICC statement read: “Mr Jayasuriya, the former Sri Lanka Cricket Chair of Selectors, has been charged with the following offences under the Code:

“Article 2.4.6 – Failure or refusal, without compelling justification, to co-operate with any investigation carried out by the ACU, including failure to provide accurately and completely any information and/or documentation requested by the ACU as part of such investigation.

“Article 2.4.7 – Obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU, including concealing, tampering with or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code.

“Mr Jayasuriya has 14 days from 15 October 2018 to respond to the charges.”

Jayasuriya has yet to comment on the statement and his alleged non-cooperation with the ICC during its year-long investigation, which is believed to include the refusal to hand over mobile phones and other electronic devices, will doubtless shock the Sri Lankan public given he is one the most decorated and famous sportsmen in the country’s history.

The former left-handed batsman played 110 Test matches and 445 one-day internationals, scoring over 20,000 runs and taking more than 400 wickets, between his debut against Australia in 1989 and his eventual retirement after a tour to England in 2011.

Jayasuriya arguably changed the face of modern limited overs cricket too, with he and his fellow opener, Romesh Kaluwitharana, adopting an aggressive approach to power play batting that proved revolutionary at the time and was a key factor in Sri Lanka’s stunning triumph at the 1996 World Cup.

Since calling time on his playing days, Jayasuriya has worked in both cricket and politics. From 2010 to 2015 he was the member of parliament for Matara, the final two years of which he combined with his first spell as the national team’s chairman of selectors.