Sri Lanka Cricket Suspends Danushka Gunathilaka from All Forms of Cricket with Immediate Effect

The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has taken a strong step against batsman Danushka Gunathilaka who was arrested by Sydney police with sexual assault charges. The Lankan cricket board on Monday released an official statement, slapping a suspension on the Gunathilaka from all forms of cricket with immediate effect. The board has also assured of taking every necessary step to carry out an inquiry into the matter and the batter will be penalised if found guilty.

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“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.

“Furthermore, Sri Lanka Cricket will take the necessary steps to promptly carry out an inquiry into the alleged offence, and, upon conclusion of the aforementioned court case in Australia, steps will be taken to penalize the said player if found guilty.

“Sri Lanka Cricket wishes to emphasize that it adopts a ‘zero tolerance’ policy for any such conduct by a player and will provide all the required support to the Australian law enforcement authorities to carry out an impartial inquiry into the incident,” it further read.

A report in Daily Mail on Monday said Gunathilaka was moments away from leaving for the airport to fly back home when he was pulled out of the team bus and apprehended by police.

According to New South Wales Police department, the 31-year-old Sri Lankan cricketer was communicating with a woman for a few days “via an online dating app before they met in person”. The latest report said he was in touch with the woman on Tinder before he allegedly sexually assaulted her on the evening of November 2.

Gunathilaka, who spent Sunday night behind bars, has reportedly applied for bail in a Sydney court. He faces four counts of rape.

Gunathilaka’s defence lawyer Ananda Amaranath was quoted as saying in the Daily Telegraph that, “He was hoping it (case) would get to court on Sunday, so he’s disappointed that didn’t happen, but he is holding up OK.”

“He is quite concerned about what will happen if he can’t get back to Sri Lanka… these are serious charges and it could take a year or more for this to be finalised, so he is very worried about that too,” he added.

(With Agency Inputs)

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