Gros Islet: Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has been charged with ball-tampering by the International Cricket Council (ICC). “Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has been charged for breaching Level 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct,” ICC tweeted.
The latest ball-tampering fiasco had surfaced on the third day of the ongoing second Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka at Gros Islet on Saturday. The breach relates to changing the condition of the ball. The same charge was levelled against Australia batsman Cameron Bancroft who was caught on camera rubbing a piece of sandpaper on the ball against South Africa in March.
This was the second such instance within three months, after the Australians were found guilty of ball-tampering in South Africa in March during the third Test between the two nations.
Steve Smith, along with David Warner, was handed a one-year ban from both domestic and international cricket by Cricket Australia while batsman Bancroft was handed a nine-month suspension for their involvement in the incident.
Sri Lanka were charged with altering the condition of the ball by umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould, who reviewed video of the West Indies first innings on Friday.
They penalized the team before play on Saturday with a change of ball and awarded five runs to the West Indies.
“The ICC can confirm the match officials in the second Test between West Indies and Sri Lanka changed the ball and awarded 5 penalty runs to West Indies,” the ICC said in a statement.
Sri Lanka protested by refusing to leave their dressing room for nearly an hour and a half. Then the team went out to the middle and walked back to the boundary, where arguing with officials didn’t relent for another 40 minutes.
Sri Lanka Cricket has strongly denied involvement of any of its players in ball-tampering.
Sri Lanka Cricket advised the team to play “under protest,” that team management said no players “engaged in any wrongdoing,” and it would take all steps to defend any player charged with “any unwarranted allegation.”
The West Indies resumed on day three on 118/2, which was bumped up to 123/2 by the penalty runs. But the home side was all out in a rush after tea for 300, a lead of 47 on the first innings.
Sri Lanka was 34/1 at stumps in their second innings, trailing by 13. For West Indies, only opener Devon Smith and wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich posted scores of substance, 61 and 55 respectively.
