The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board has officially suspended Danushka Gunathilaka after she was arrested on charges of rape in Sydney on Sunday (November 6). The incident comes a day after Sri Lanka ended their T20 World Cup 2022 campaign in Australia after losing to England on Saturday. Gunathilaka has been taken into custody by Sydney Police, while the rest of the team has returned to Sri Lanka, with the Sri Lankan Embassy paying close attention to the matters.
SLC. statement of
“The Executive Committee of Sri Lanka Cricket has decided to suspend national player Danushka Gunathilaka from all forms of cricket with immediate effect and for Mr Gunathilaka to be arrested on charges of sexually assaulting a woman in Australia and for any selection against him. Will not be considered. .
“Furthermore, Sri Lanka Cricket will take necessary steps to promptly investigate the alleged offence, and upon conclusion of the above court case in Australia, steps will be taken to punish the said player if found guilty.
“Sri Lanka Cricket would like to emphasize that it adopts a “zero tolerance” policy for any such conduct by a player and will provide all necessary assistance to Australian law enforcement authorities to conduct an impartial investigation into the incident,” Read the statement after it was confirmed on the official Twitter handle of SLC.
What happened on Sunday?
Detectives arrested Gunathilaka on Sunday (November 6) morning for the alleged sexual assault of a 29-year-old woman in Rose Bay last week. Police alleged that 31-year-old Gunathilaka and the woman were communicating through an online dating app for several days before meeting in person.
The police alleged in the court that Gunathilaka sexually assaulted the woman on the evening of November 2. Gunathilaka was arrested shortly before 1 pm on Sunday at a hotel on Sussex Street in Sydney. She was taken to Sydney City Police Station and charged with four counts of having sex without consent.
The Sri Lankan cricketer was today denied bail to appear in the Parramatta bail court through an audiovisual link. Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup squad, of which Gunathilaka was a team member, played their final match of the tournament in Sydney on Saturday night.