ICC T20 World Cup 2022: Danushka Gunathilaka Arrested By Sydney Police And Charged Over Alleged Sexual Assault Of Woman

Sri Lankan batter Danushka Gunathilaka has been arrested and taken to the Sydney City Police Station on alleged rape charges. He is accused of sexually assaulting a 29-year-old woman on November 2, just days after they exchanged messages on a dating app.

The 31-year-old is with the Sri Lanka team in Australia for the ICC T20 World Cup 2022. The rest of the team has returned to Colombo after losing their final Super 12 game against England on Saturday, leaving Danushka Gunathilaka behind. He was ruled out of the tournament after suffering a hamstring injury during the group stages.

“Daushka Gunathilaka has been arrested for an alleged rape. The Sri Lankan team has left Australia without him,” a source close to the Sri Lankan team told PTI.

Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka arrested in Sydney on rape charges, team leaves Australia without him: Team source

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) November 6, 2022

The left-handed batter played against Namibia in the first round of the ongoing T20 World Cup and was out for a duck. Sri Lanka finished fourth in Group 1 and was eliminated from the marquee event.

The New South Wales Police Department has also mentioned the arrest of an unnamed Sri Lankan national on its website. According to the website, a 29-year-old woman was sexually attacked earlier this week in Rose Bay.

“Sex Crimes Squad detectives have charged a Sri Lankan national following an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a woman in Sydney’s east last week. The woman met with the man after communicating with him for a number of days via an online dating application; it’s alleged he then sexually assaulted her on the evening of Wednesday 2 November 2022,” the report said.

“As part of ongoing investigations, a crime scene examination was undertaken by specialist police at an address in Rose Bay yesterday. Following further inquiries, a 31-year-old man was arrested at a hotel on Sussex Street, Sydney, shortly before 1am today (Sunday 6 November 2022),” the report added.

Danushka Gunathilaka made his international debut for Sri Lanka in 2015 and represented the nation in eight tests, 47 one-day internationals (ODIs), and 46 Twenty20 internationals.

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