Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has confirmed that they have suspended Danushka Gunathilaka after he was charged with four counts of sexual assault in Australia. The local governing body of the sport said the 31-year-old batter, who was in Australia for the T20 World Cup 2022, was suspended “from all forms of the game with immediate effect”.

Also, Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka was denied bail by a court in Sydney on Monday as he was accused of sexual assault while he was in Australia to play in the T20 World Cup.

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A statement regarding the same from SLC read: “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 leave no stone unturned in taking 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. SLC wishes to emphasize that it adopts a “zero tolerance” policy for any such conduct by a cricketer and will provide all the required support to the Australian law enforcement authorities to carry out an impartial inquiry into the incident.

Danushka Gunathilaka attended court through an audio-visual link. The bail hearing took place at the Downing Centre court in Sydney. Defense attorney Ananda Amaranath did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, who was with the national squad for the T20 World Cup 2022 in Australia, was arrested on charges of sexual assault here on 6 November, prompting the Lankan government to order an “immediate investigation” into the incident.