Colombo: Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Monday suspended national player Danushka Gunathilaka from ‘all forms of cricket’ with immediate effect after star batter was arrested and charged with sexual assault in Australia.
“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 Gunathilaka was arrested and charged with sexual assault of a woman in Australia,” SLC said in a statement.
“Furthermore, Sri Lanka Cricket will take the necessary steps to promptly carry out an inquiry into the alleged offense, and, upon conclusion of the aforementioned court case in Australia, steps will be taken to penalize the said player if found guilty,” the statement added.
Gunathilaka has been arrested in Sydney for alleged sexual assault. He was arrested from a hotel on Sussex Street at early hours of Sunday morning.
According to Daily Mirror, Gunathilaka appeared by video link in handcuffs at a Sydney court on Monday, seeking bail after he was charged with four counts of sexual assault, but it was refused by the Magistrate and will have to remain in custody.
According to media reports, this is not the first time that Danushka has faced disciplinary charges. He has faced at least three allegations of misconduct vis-a-vis females and one incident of misbehaviour where he along with two other players broke the bio bubble during a tour in England.
In 2018, the SLC slapped a six-match ban on the batsman for breaching player rules as police investigated the alleged rape of a Norwegian woman in his hotel room in Kollupitiya.
This incident in 2018 was just months after he faced another disciplinary inquiry in October 2017 where he missed a training session following late-night partying.
