Danushka Gunathilaka suspended by SLC from all forms of cricket following sexual assault charges

All hell has broken loose for the Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka. After he was arrested for sexual assault charges and his bail has been denied early on Monday (November 07), more misery followed suit for the batter. He has been suspended with immediate effect by the Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) following his arrest in Sydney. Sri Lanka Cricket will not consider him for selection from all forms of cricket, it said in a statement.

Media release of the SLC:

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.

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.

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.

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It is to be noted that the 31-year-old Gunathilaka, who has represented Sri Lanka in eight Tests, 47 ODIs and 46 T20Is, was part of the Dasun Shanaka-led Lankan side’s T20 World Cup 2022 campaign in Australia. However, the team left him behind after the serious charges were levied on him recently.

At the Downing Centre Local Court, Magistrate Robert Williams noted that Gunathilaka does not carry any criminal history. However, much to his dismay, his bail application was rejected by the court. Outside the court, defence lawyer Ananda Amaranath termed the decision as disappointing and revealed that his client was mulling to appeal to the New South Wales State Supreme Court.