Sri Lankan all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga’s dissent towards an umpire during an ODI earned him a suspension for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.
Sri Lanka’s star all-rounder, Wanindu Hasaranga, was handed a suspension that will see him miss the upcoming two-test series against Bangladesh. This comes just days after Hasaranga announced his return to Test cricket following a year-long absence from the format.
The suspension stems from an incident during the third ODI against Bangladesh, where Hasaranga was found guilty of breaching the ICC’s Code of Conduct. In the 37th over of the match, he showed “dissent at an umpire’s decision during an international match”, an act that falls under Article 2.8 of the Code. Specifically, Hasaranga snatched his cap from one of the umpires and made gestures deemed disrespectful towards the official.
According to a report by ICC, this incident resulted in a 50% fine of his match fee and a penalty of three demerit points. Unfortunately for Hasaranga, this pushed his total demerit points to eight within 24 months. He had already accumulated three demerit points during the third T20I against Afghanistan last month, leading to a two-match T20I suspension against Bangladesh.
With the latest addition of demerit points, Hasaranga has surpassed the threshold and triggered a conversion clause within the Code (Article 7.6). Eight demerit points convert to four suspension points, which can be applied to two Tests, four ODIs, or T20Is, whichever comes first. In this case, the two upcoming tests against Bangladesh, starting from March 22nd, will see the suspension enforced.
However, Hasaranga and his teammate Kusal Mendis, who also breached Article 2.13 of the Code as he “abused the umpires while shaking hands with them,” admitted their offences and accepted the sanctions proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees.
Last Updated on March 20, 2024
