ICC suspends Sri Lankan captain, coach and manager
Sri Lankan cricket team's captain Dinesh Chandimal, along with coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha, have been suspended for 2 Tests and 4 ODIs against South Africa. The ICC took the decision, on Monday, on the advice of The Independent Judicial Commissioner, The Honorable Michael Beloff QC. All three Lankans have been handed eight suspension points each.
How did the drama unfold?
On June 17, Chandimal was caught tampering with the ball during St. Lucia's Test against West Indies. The match referee decided to award Windies five runs. As a sign of protest, the Lankans didn't take to the field, for 2 hours, the next day. The trio took responsibility for the delay caused and pleaded guilty to "conduct contrary to the spirit of the game".
The match referee's statement
Chandimal's action was caught by TV cameras and it was reported to match officials. Hence, referee Javagal Srinath awarded 5 runs to the West Indians. His statement read, "It is clear that Dinesh Chandimal applied an artificial substance to the ball, namely saliva containing the residue of something he had in his mouth, an action which is prohibited under the ICC Code of Conduct,"
ICC's official statement
ICC released an official statement where it explained the punishments meted out to the three individuals and the reason to do so. The international body has stated that the three will not participate in the Galle Test (played from July 12-14) and Colombo Test (to be played from July 20-24) and 4 ODIs. Furthermore, six demerit points have been added to each defaulter's record.
Have there been similar incidents in the past?
Ball tampering has been an ugly aspect of the sport and many legends of the game, including Tendulkar, have been accused of the same. An incident similar to Chandimal's had taken place in 2006 when the Pakistani team refused to take to the field, after tea, as they were accused of ball-tampering by the umpires. Finally, the match was awarded to England by forfeiture.
