Court verdict will help the game, says Sangakkara

Former Sri Lankan captain Kumar Sangakkara on Friday said he was confident the court verdict of sending three Pakistani players to prison would help the game, saying any sort of fixing is intolerable.Former Pakistan captain Salman Butt was handed a 30 months sentence, Mohammad Asif 12, Mohammad Aamer three and their agent Mazhar Majeed for 32 months respectively for their roles in fixing last years Test against England.Sangakkara, in the first reaction by a player from either Pakistan or Sri Lanka -- currently playing the third and final Test here -- said fixing has harmed the sport.Something like that does a lot of harm to the game. But, on the other hand, the decisions made during the trial, even though harsh, help the game to come out of it, Sangakkara told reporters.The 34-year-old left-handed batsman, who notched 144 in Sri Lankas first innings of 413, said fixing is intolerable.After this case we can say that we are doing something about it (fixing) and we dont tolerate any sort of fixing, be it spot or match-fixing, or cheating, said Sangakkara, who has played against all three imprisoned cricketers.Sangakkara said he felt for the families of the convicted trio.You have to feel some empathy because it has been very hard for the families, the supporters and the administrators of the game. But, unfortunately, the thing is that if you do the crime, you do the time and its been proven that you cannot get away with things like that.Sangakkara hoped the case served as a deterrent for the game and all those involved in it.From now on, its a very good deterrent to players, administrators and people who watch the game and try and manipulate it that they cannot get away with it anymore.