Sri Lanka batsman Danushka Gunathilaka has been slapped with a six-match ban after he was found to have breached the terms of his contract.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) confirmed the player’s sentence on Friday after finding him guilty of breaching the ‘Player Code of Conduct and Contractual Obligation’.
An inquiry had been opened against the opener during the second Test between Sri Lanka and South Africa at Colombo after his friend was accused of raping a Norwegian woman at the team hotel. The incident took place on the eve of Sri Lanka’s fourth day victory over the Proteas.
Gunathilaka’s friend was placed under arrest by the Sri Lankan police while the batsman has been let off after questioning. The 27-year-old has not been accused in the case.
Gunathilaka had crached fifties in both innings of the second Test.
However, he has been found guilty of breaching the SLC rule which stipulates that all players are bound to be in their team hotel by midnight and cannot entertain any guests.
Sri Lanka cricket decided to suspend Danushka Gunathilaka from six international cricket matches for breaching the ‘Player Code of Conduct and Contractual Obligation’,” a statement from SLC read.
The batsman will now miss the five-match ODI series and one-off T20 against South Africa. Gunathilaka was not named in the Sri Lanka squad for the ODIs when it was announced as the inquiry against him moved forward.
The player will also forfeit his match fee for the second Test and any bonus payments for Sri Lanka’s 2-0 series clean sweep.