Suspended Gunathilaka to miss ODIs due to misconduct
Sri Lanka's opening batsman, Danushka Gunathilaka, has been left out of the squad for the upcoming 5-match ODI series against South Africa, starting July 29. Angelo Mathews will be captaining the side. Regular skipper Dinesh Chandimal is serving a ban after being involved in a ball-tampering incident. And now Gunathilaka would miss the ODIs due to misconduct. Here is why he faced this consequence.
A close associate of Gunathilaka has been arrested for allegedly raping a Norwegian woman in a team hotel in the Lankan capital, Colombo. Gunathilaka was reportedly present in the room at the time of the incident. Even though he has not been arrested, he will remain suspended until disciplinary inquiry. It remains to be seen what will be in store for the player.
It is a huge blow for the Lankan side, given the player was in great touch against the Proteas in the Test series. He was the second highest scoring batsman in the series which Lanka won 2-0.
Here is the 15-man Sri Lanka squad: Angelo Mathews (captain), Dasun Shanaka, Kusal Janith Perera, Dhananjaya De Silva, Upul Tharanga, Kusal Mendis, Thisara Perera, Niroshan Dickwella, Suranga Lakmal, Lahiru Kumara, Kasun Rajitha, Akila Dananjaya, Prabath Jayasuriya, Lakshan Sandakan, and Shehan Jayasuriya. The first two ODIs will be played in Dambulla. Palekelle will host the next two matches with the final game in Colombo.
