Sri Lanka Cricket lifts a one-year ban on cricketers who had broken Covid protocols.© ICC/Twitter
Sri Lanka on Friday lifted a one-year international ban on three top cricketers who were disciplined six months ago for violating Covid-19 regulations while touring England. The trio – vice captain Kusal Mendis, opener Danushka Gunathilaka and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella – had paid the $50,000 fine and were appealing the ban, a board official said. “Since there have been no violations since they were banned in July, the board has decided to accept their appeal and allow them to play again,” the official told AFP.
Officials said the trio will be available for selection for the upcoming three-match ODI series against Zimbabwe.
The three players were seen in Durham for a one-day international against England who breached a Covid-19 biosecure bubble. They were also punished for violating a 10:30 p.m. curfew at the team hotel.
The penalty was the most severe imposed by a cricket country for violating the anti-coronavirus bubbles that have now become standard practice in international sport.
Mendis and Gunathilaka have faced censorship before.
Mendis ran over and killed a 64-year-old cyclist in July 2020. He paid one million rupees ($5,000) to the victim’s family as part of a court settlement and was reprimanded by the board.
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Gunathilaka was banned from the national team in 2018 for violating the team’s curfew while on tour. In April last year, he was instructed to undergo anger management therapy after a drunken brawl.
(This story was not edited by DailyExpertNews staff and was generated automatically from a syndicated feed.)
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