Exec Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket decided to suspend Danushka Gunathilaka

Danushka Gunathilaka has been suspended by Cricket Sri Lanka after being charged with assaulting a lady in Australia.

On Sunday, November 6, early in the morning, police arrived at the Sri Lankan team hotel in Sydney’s financial district and detained Gunathilaka on suspicion of a sexual assault. A 29-year-old woman was allegedly sexually assaulted at a private property in the Sydney suburb of Rose Bay, according to claims under investigation by police.

The Sri Lankan cricketer and the woman via an online dating application. Specialist police officers from the State Crime Command’s Sex Crimes Squad and Eastern Suburbs Police Area Command were involved in the investigation. The man was arrested at a hotel on Sussex Street, Sydney, shortly before 1 am on 6 November 2022. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) subsequently issued a statement confirming the identity of the player as Gunathilaka.

A report on Fox Sports Australia quoted Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty as saying, “They met for prearranged drinks, had something to eat and went back to the woman’s home. The woman had taken all precautions, she met in a public place, it was just unfortunate.”

He was turned down for bail and appeared in court the following day. Following notification from the International Cricket Council of the cricketer’s detention, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board immediately suspended Danushka Gunathilaka from all forms of cricket, according to a statement issued on November 7, Monday.

Additionally, it was claimed that Sri Lanka Cricket will take the required actions to look into the alleged offence right away and that if the player were proven guilty after the end of the aforementioned court case in Australia, punishment would be implemented.