(COLOMBO, LANKAPUVATH) –Sri Lanka Captain Dinesh Chandimal has been suspended for the third and final Test of the series against West Indies after he was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during the second Test.
Chandimal had been charged by the ICC for ball tampering while the Test was on after video evidence indicated that on the second day’s play, he was taking sweets out from his left pocket, putting them in his mouth, before applying saliva to the ball within the space of a few seconds.
Chandimal pleaded not guilty then and later attended a hearing with match referee Javagal Srinath, his team management and other match officials at the end of the match in which the video evidence was used and the Sri Lanka captain admitted putting something in his mouth but wasn’t able to recall what it was, according to the ICC release. Srinath, as a result, handed Chandimal the maximum punishment available under the code, which was two suspension points and a fine of 100% of his match fee.
“After reviewing the footage of the incident, it is clear that Dinesh applied an artificial substance to the ball, namely saliva containing the residue of something he had in his mouth, an action which is prohibited under the ICC Code of Conduct,” Srinath said in the release.
