The Sri Lankan team management trio of Dinesh Chandimal, Chandika Hathurusinghe, and Asanka Gurusinha have received eight suspension points each. The independent Judicial Commissioner, The Hon Michael Beloff QC, on Monday, handed Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusinghe, and manager Asanka Gurusinha eight suspension points, which means the trio have also been suspended for the first four ODIs along with both the Test series against South Africa.
Chandimal, Hathurusinghe, and Gurusinha were charged by the ICC Chief Executive David Richardson on 19 June and had pleaded guilty to breaching Level 3, Article 2.3.1, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”, during last month’s St Lucia Test against the West Indies.
The Chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission had held a hearing over video conference on Wednesday, 11 July, to determine the sanction, and, after more than six hours of the hearing, which was attended by legal counsels of both the teams, had reserved his decision.
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However, during the hearing, it was mutually agreed that, since the minimum sanction for a Level 3 offence was suspension from two Tests, the three will not participate in the Galle Test (played from 12-14 July) and Colombo Test (to be played from 20-24 July), and these will be credited against the ban imposed by the Judicial Commissioner.
As eight suspension points simply means that the trio will get banned for two Tests and four ODIs/T20Is or eight ODIs/T20Is, whatever comes first for the player or player support personnel, the Judicial Commissioner’s ruling means the three will also remain suspended for the Dambulla ODIs (29 July and 1 August) as well as the Kandy ODIs (5 and 8 August).
Furthermore, six demerit points each have been added to the disciplinary records of Chandimal, Hathurusinghe, and Gurusinha.
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While it was one of the first sanctions for Hathurusinghe and Gurusinha, it was the second time Chandimal has been sanctioned since the introduction of the revised Code in September 2016. Chandimal received four demerit points for breaching Article 2.2.9 in the same Test, and, therefore, he now has 10 demerit points against his name.
All Level 3 breaches carry an imposition of between four and eight suspension points.
