Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal will not be able to play the third and the final Test of the ongoing series against the Windies as he has received the ban of a Test as he was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during the second day’s play of the second Test, which concluded at St Lucia on Monday.
After the second Test, the hearing took place in which video evidence was used in the presence of the Sri Lanka team management as well as the match officials, Chandimal acknowledged that he had put something in his mouth but wasn’t able to recall what it was. ICC Match Referee Javagal Srinath handed Chandimal the maximum punishment available under the code, i.e. two suspension points and a fine of 100 percent of his match fee.
As two suspension points directly mean a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is, whatever comes first for the player, Chandimal will now miss the day/night Barbados Test, starting from Saturday, 23 June. In order to make things worse, and because two suspension points correspond to four demerit points, these have been added to Chandimal’s disciplinary record.
Commenting on his decision, Srinath said: “After reviewing the footage of the incident, it is clear that Dinesh applied an artificial substance to the ball, namely saliva containing the residue of something he had in his mouth, an action which is prohibited under the ICC Code of Conduct.
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He further added, “The footage shows that upon receiving the ball, Dinesh took something from his pocket and put it into his mouth. After sucking or chewing whatever he put in his mouth for a few seconds, Dinesh then proceeded to spit on his finger and polish the ball with his saliva which would have contained the residue of the artificial substance that he had in his mouth, on two separate occasions. During the hearing, Dinesh admitted to putting something in his mouth but couldn’t remember what it was, which I found unconvincing as a defense and the fact remains it was an artificial substance.”
Explaining the scenario further, Srinath said, “In the pre-series briefing held on the back of the ICC Cricket Committee recommendations, both the sides were explicitly told that the match officials would be extra vigilant towards all aspects of fair play, including changing the condition of the ball and as such it is disappointing that this has happened.”
On Sunday, Chandimal had pleaded not guilty after on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould and third umpire Richard Kettleborough had imposed the charges of changing the condition of the ball on him.
