Picture Credit: Twitter/@OfficialSLC
Ahead of the white-ball series against India, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has officially announced the appointment of a five member panel to inquire regarding the alleged misconduct of three Sari Lankan players in England. "Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to announce the appointment of a 5-member panel to inquire into the alleged misconduct of three players, namely Kusal Mendis, Dhanushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella while touring England with the national team," SLC earlier said in a statement. Notably, the three cricketers were snapped while they were breaching the bio-bubble in UK and were immediately called back from the England tour.
The five-member panel includes Justice Nimal Dissanayaka (Retd Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka), Panduka Keerthinanda, Attorney-at-Law, Asela Rekawa, Attorney-at-Law, Uchitha Wickremasinghe, Attorney-at-Law and Major General (Retd) MRW De Zoysa.
The three players were suspended from all forms of cricket, until the completion of the inquiry
As per Sri Lanka Cricket, Kusal Mendis, Dhanushka Gunathilaka, and Niroshan Dickwella are suspended from all forms of cricket until the inquiry is complete. “The players have been suspended pending a full inquiry, but have confessed to having gone out," mentioned an SLC official.
Sri Lanka is set to host India in a ODI series starting July 13, followed by a T20I series towards the end of July. Given that Kusal Mendis, Dhanushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella are under the scanner and are suspended from all forms of cricket till the investigation on their misconduct in UK is complete, they are set to miss the limited over series against India