Dinesh Chandimal with Sri Lankan team coach. Credits: AFP
Sri Lanka cricket won’t be taking a leaf out of Cricket Australia (CA) and hence no further punishment will be meted out to Skipper Dinesh Chandimal, who was apparently involved in the ball-tampering fiasco in the second Test between Sri Lanka and the Windies.
It also ruled him out of the final Test after they accepted the charge and the sanction respectively.
Chandimal might face further sanctions from the International Cricket Council (ICC) after he breached Level 3 code of conduct which relates to bringing the morale of the game down.
Well, the head coach Chandika Hathurusingh and manager Asanka Gurusinha were also charged after the Sri Lankan team held up a play for a couple of hours during the start of the third day’s play in St Lucia
The Ministry of Sports that manages the affairs of Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) admitted to the fact that it was wrong from Sri Lanka’s part to not take the field.
However, they conceded the fact that the trio won’t be further punished following their involvement. Meanwhile, CA handed one-year suspension to David Warner and Steven Smith with the nine-month suspension to Cameron Bancroft.
“I am disturbed about the team not taking the field. It was wrong not to take the field. This should not have happened. But I can understand the team trying to back the captain,” Faizer Mustapha, the Minister of Sports, said in a release.
In addition, it was after the Islanders returned home from the tour of Windies.
Chandimal suspended for one Test after being found guilty of changing the condition of the ball. Getty Images
It is a regret to wait for two hours outside the field said Mustapha
“We regret the team not going onto the field for two hours. We should maintain the discipline of the highest order. SLC is committed to a spirit of cricket. We maintained that Chandimal was innocent, but the ICC has issued a sanction and we abide by it,” Mustapha added.
Dinesh Chandimal to lead Sri Lanka for the two-match T20I series. Photo Credit: PTI.
Meanwhile coming back to the Smith-Warner-Bancroft incident, the latter was caught on camera trying to apply sandpaper on the ball.
The ICC fined him 75 percent of his match fees. Captain and vice-captain then got suspended with immediate effect after bringing down the spirit of the game.
Gurusinha regretted his team’s actions in St. Lucia led by Dinesh Chandimal.
“We were aware of the rules. When they sent us the charge sheet, all three of us accepted it. We were too emotional when we were informed that the captain was charged for ball tampering. We made a mistake and regret it,” Gurusinha said.
“My worry is that we will be without the services of our captain for the upcoming South African series. We are hoping that the ICC will reduce the punishment. We have accepted the charge and now we are hoping that both our captain and coach will be available for the South Africa series,” he asserted.
