Picture Credit: Twitter
Sri Lanka cricket board has suspended batter Danushka Gunathilaka after the latter was arrested in Sydney on Sunday (6 November). The batter who appeared in court today (Monday, November 7) at the Parramatta Bail Court via AVL has been denied bail and will remain in Australian custody until further update.
A day after the arrest, the Sri Lanka board has suspended the 31-year-old with immediate effect from all forms of cricket.
“The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket decided to suspend national player Danushka Gunathilaka from all forms of cricket with immediate effect and will not consider him for any selections after being informed that Mr. Gunathilaka was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a woman in Australia,” the SLC statement read.
The board has further conveyed that it will take all necessary steps to carry out the inquiry, stating that the player will be penalized if found guilty .
The 31-year-old batter was earlier ruled out of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2022 with a hamstring injury. However, the replacement was called in for him, he remained with the team in Australia until the Super 12 stage. Sri Lanka failed to qualify for the knockout after losing three and winning two games in the league stage. The island nation ended their T20 World Cup campaign with 4 points and a net run-rate of -0.422.