Danushka Gunathilaka suspended by Sri Lanka Cricket, won’t be considered for selection amid rape charges

Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has been suspended by the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board with ‘immediate effect’ amid charges of rape against the batsman. Gunathilaka was part of the Sri Lankan side which had travelled to the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, but he was injured in the first round itself. 

Gunathilaka was arrested by the local police on Sunday, as the rest of his teammates left for Sri Lanka after being knocked out of the World Cup. 

According to an IANS report, Gunathilaka was in touch with a woman through Tinder, whom he allegedly raped after they met. Gunathilaka was subsequently arrested and he attended a hearing in the court on Monday, pleading for his bail. 

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On the other hand, Sri Lanka Cricket have released a statement after they suspended the batsman who will not be considered for selection across formats, while there will be a separate enquiry done into the matter by 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,” read the release 

“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,” it informed further. 

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“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,” concluded the statement.