Sri Lanka Cricket lifts domestic cricket bans on Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella
Sri Lankan cricketers Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella have received a major respite from Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) as the board has lifted their domestic cricket bans.
The trio were handed one-year bans from international cricket and six-month bans on domestic cricket for violating the bio-bubble during the team's tour of England earlier this year. However, SLC secretary Mohan De Silva recently confirmed that players will now be allowed to play domestic cricket.
In a conversation with the Daily Mail, De Silva stated that the three cricketers will be allowed to ply their trade for their respective teams in domestic cricket, given that they have paid their fines. The board had imposed a fine of 10 million Sri Lankan rupees on them for the bio-bubble breach.
Commenting on the matter, Mohan de Silva said:
“We will inform the Ministry that we will allow them to return subject to them paying their fine.”
The decision to lift the ban early was made during a board meeting on Tuesday. The three cricketers received criticism from all quarters after a video of them breaching the bio-bubble in the UK went viral on social media. They also had to miss out on the upcoming T20 World Cup 2021 because of their bans.
#WATCH: Sri Lankan cricketers Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis found intoxicated and rolling joint🚬 out of bio-bubble in England during #ENGvSL cricket series.
Sri Lanka has now lost the series.
https://t.co/6bo6uxHmTS
Sri Lanka squad for T20 World Cup 2021
Sri Lanka Cricket has announced a 15-member squad for the showpiece event. Dasun Shanaka will lead the team in the ICC tournament while Dhananjaya De Silva will serve as his deputy.
Here's the full Sri Lanka squad:
Dasun Shanaka (c), Dhananjaya De Silva (vc), Kusal Perera, Dinesh Chandimal, Pathum Nissanka, Charith Asalanka, Avishka Fernando, Bhanuka Rajapaksa, Chamika Karunaratne, Wanindu Hasaranga, Dushmantha Chameera, Lahiru Kumara, Maheesh Theekshana, Akila Dananjaya, Binura Fernando
The following 15 member final squad was selected by the Cricket Selection Committee to take part in the ICC Men’s #T20WorldCup 2021, which will be played in UAE and Oman from 17th October to 14th November 2021. READ: bit.ly/3DqaMGX https://t.co/oEI5UZCdwc
Find out how many times Sri Lanka won in the T20 World Cup winners list.
Sri Lanka will open their T20 World Cup 2021 campaign on October 18 when they take on Namibia. They are scheduled to then face Ireland on October 20 and the Netherlands on October 22. They are placed in Group A and will have to finish in the top two of their group in order to progress to the Super 12s.