Sri Lanka’s T20I skipper, Wanindu Hasaranga, was handed a two-match suspension by the ICC following a breach of the Code of Conduct during their recent T20I series against Afghanistan.
On Saturday, February 24, the International Cricket Council (ICC) handed a two-match suspension to Sri Lanka captain Wanindu Hasaranga. He was found guilty of verbally abusing an on-field umpire during a T20I match against Afghanistan on Wednesday in Dambulla.
Following his verbal altercation with the umpire during the closely contested match, Hasaranga incurred three demerit points and was fined 50 percent of his match fee. This incident resulted in Hasaranga accumulating five demerit points within two years, constituting a breach of the ICC Code of Conduct. He was found to have violated Article 2.13 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which specifically addresses “Personal abuse of a Player, Player Support Personnel, Umpire, or Match Referee during an International Match.”
Following the end of the third T20I, Hasaranga confronted umpire Lyndon Hannibal regarding a decision on a high full toss not being called a no-ball. Hasaranga criticised the umpire, stating, “If you can’t see that, that umpire isn’t suited to international cricket. It would be much better if he did another job.”
Hasaranga’s five demerit points were converted into two suspension points, resulting in a ban from one Test match or two ODIs or T20Is. Consequently, he will miss Sri Lanka’s first two T20Is against Bangladesh.
In the Afghanistan Camp, opener Rahmanullah Gurbazw also faced penalties, being fined 15 percent of his match fee for breaching Level 1 of the ICC Code of Conduct. Rahmanullah was found to have violated Article 2.4 of the Code, which pertains to “disobeying an umpire’s instruction during an international match.” The sanction stemmed from Rahmanullah changing the grip of his bat on the field of play despite receiving repeated warnings not to do so.
Both players accepted sanctions from Chris Broad, forgoing formal hearings. Charges were laid by on-field umpires and officials, including Lyndon Hannibal, Raveendra Wimalasiri, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, and Ranmore Martinez.
Last Updated on February 25, 2024
