Ball Tampering: Chandimal not to be further punished by SLC
Sri Lankan skipper Dinesh Chandimal will not face further sanctions for the ball-tampering scandal, which he orchestrated against West Indies earlier this month. The player missed the third Test against the Windies after being suspended by the ICC. Although he is set to face further sanctions by the ICC as he accepted Level 3 charges, but the Lankan board won't punish him. Here's more.
What has the Lankan Ministry of Sports stated?
Sri Lankan Ministry of Sports, which manages the affairs of the cricket body, has stated that Chandimal along with head coach Chandika Hathurusingha and manager Asanka Gurusinha, won't be further punished. Minister of Sports, Faizer Mustapaha, claimed that even though he is disappointed with the action of the trio in the second Test but he understands the team backing the captain.
Lanka committed to spirit of cricket
Mustapaha said that he regrets the team delaying the play for two hours on Day 3 of the St Lucia Test. He opined that SLC is committed to spirit of cricket. And he accepted ICC's decision for issuing a sanction. Gurusinha regretted the team's actions and and said that they made a mistake and regret the same.
Lanka going their own way
Earlier this year, Australian trio of Steve Smith, David Warner and Cameron Bancroft were charged of ball-tampering and received one Test ban. But Cricket Australia handed Smith and Warner a 12-month and Bancroft a 9-month ban after running an internal investigation. But Lanka will not follow the same path and are hoping that Chandimal will be available for the upcoming series against South Africa.
Why were the trio charged by ICC?
These three were charged for their involvement in Sri Lanka's decision in refusing to take the field against West Indies in St Lucia Test. The trio's decision had caused a two-hour delay. As per the rule, this is a Level 3 charge, which relates to "conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game". This happened post Chandimal was alleged of ball-tampering.
