Published: Jul 23, 2018, 12:37 PM (IST)
Edited: Jul 23, 2018, 12:37 PM (IST)
Sri Lankan Test cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has been suspended after a Norwegian woman accused his friend of raping her in a hotel room where he was present, an official said Monday. Gunathilaka, 27, and an unnamed friend took two Norwegian women to the hotel where the former was staying in Colombo in the early hours of Sunday. One of the women later accused the second man, a British passport-holder of Sri Lankan origin, of raping her and police arrested him.
Gunathilaka’s 26-year-old friend “is under arrest and we are continuing our investigations,” a police official told AFP. “A Norwegian tourist made the complaint of rape.” He added there was no allegation against Gunathilaka, currently Sri Lanka’s best-performing batsman in an ongoing tour by South Africa.
However Sri Lanka Cricket on Sunday night suspended Gunathilaka on a ‘misconduct’ charge, he is allowed to play in the match that is currently taking place. He even bowled an over of off-spin today.
The governing body’s rules stipulate that during matches players must be back in their hotel rooms by midnight and cannot have guests.
The cricket board will also “withheld Gunathilaka’s fee for the ongoing Test match until the outcome of the inquiry,” it said.
