File photo of Wanindu Hasaranga.© AFP
New Sri Lanka Twenty20 captain Wanindu Hasaranga was handed a two-match ban by the International Cricket Council on Saturday for abusing an umpire during this week's series-ending defeat to Afghanistan. The 26-year-old protested to on-field umpire Lyndon Hannibal after the match for failing to call a no-ball after a high delivery to Kamindu Mendis in the final when Sri Lanka needed 11 from three balls. The ICC said in a statement that the encounter breached its code of conduct on “personal abuse”, with Hasaranga accumulating enough penalty points over the past two years to earn the ban and a fine of 50 percent of his match fees.
“Hasaranga has been suspended for Sri Lanka's first two T20Is against Bangladesh next month,” the statement said.
Replays confirmed Wafadar Momand's throw had been above waist height and Hasaranga continued to express his frustrations after the match.
“If you can't see that, that umpire is not fit for international cricket,” he said, according to Cricinfo. “It would be much better if he did another job.”
Sri Lanka lost the match by three runs after Mendis hit a six on the last ball, but won the series 2–1 in an otherwise miserable tour for Afghanistan, who lost all three ODIs and the only Test.
The ICC also fined Afghanistan's Rahmanullah Gurbaz 15 percent of his fee for the same match for disobeying the referee's instructions.
“The sanction was imposed on Rahmanullah for changing the grip of his bat on the court despite repeated warnings not to do so,” the statement said.
It said both players had “admitted the offenses and accepted the sanctions”.
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