Former Sri Lankan cricketer Dulip Samaraweera banned from coaching in Australia for 20 years
Former Sri Lankan cricketer Dulip Samaraweera has been banned from coaching in the country by Cricket Australia (CA) for 20 years. The CA described Samaraweera's conduct as 'utterly reprehensible', stating that he will not be allowed to hold any position within the CA, state associations, or with a Men's or Women's Big Bash League (BBL) during this period.
Samaraweera was a long-time women's Victorian side and Melbourne Stars assistant coach before being elevated to coach of the Victoria women's senior side. However, he resigned after only two weeks into the role, citing the denial of a staff appointment of his choice due to state policies.
Coming to the issue that led to his 20-year ban, Samaraweera has been found to have committed a serious breach of CA's code of conduct allegedly involving a player.
Cricket Victoria's CEO Nick Cummins issued a statement saying:
"We strongly support the decision taken by the Code of Conduct Commission today, banning Dulip Samaraweera for 20 years. It is our view that the conduct was utterly reprehensible and a betrayal of everything we stand for at Cricket Victoria."
He added:
"The victim in this case has demonstrated incredible strength of character and courage in speaking up. She will continue to receive our ongoing support to allow her to achieve her goals on and off the field. From an organisation perspective, the safety and wellbeing of everyone at Cricket Victoria is paramount. We will not tolerate any behaviour which compromises that position, or our people, and will always support our culture of speaking up."
CA's Commission found Samaraweera to have breached section 2.23 of their Code of Conduct.
Dulip Samaraweera played for Sri Lanka in the early 1990s
Dulip Samaraweera was a batting all-rounder who played 7 Tests and 5 ODIs for Sri Lanka in the early 1990s.
The now-52-year-old debuted for them against the West Indies in 1993 and played until the tour of New Zealand in 1995. Samaraweera scored 211 Test and 91 ODI runs with a highest score of 49.
The right-handed batter boasted an impressive first-class record, scoring over 7,000 runs at an average of almost 40, including 16 centuries in 136 outings. His brother, Thilan Samaraweera was a key cog in Sri Lanka's Test side in the 2000s.
Thilan scored 5,462 runs in his Test career at an excellent average of 48.76 with 14 centuries.
Dulip Samaraweera was also a decent part-time off-spinner, picking up 41 wickets in his first-class career.