Published: May 12, 2016, 08:39 PM (IST)
Edited: May 12, 2016, 08:39 PM (IST)
Former Sri Lanka captain Mahela Jayawardene has urged the International Cricket Council (ICC) to allow cricketers to play till the time they are not proven guilty, in the wake of the Kusal Perera case. The ICC admitted that the analysis of a doping test on the Sri Lankan cricketer was botched, due to which he was suspended. Perera spoke about being under tremendous mental stress after he was tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid in Qatar in 2015, but claimed that he was confident of clearing the hurdle. Jayawardene has spoken in favour of those who remain suspended by the ICC even till the time they are not proven guilty. ALSO READ: ICC clears Kusal Perera on charges of doping
Perera, who now wants to make a quick return to top-flight cricket, said on Thursday, “I had not done anything wrong, but I went through tremendous mental stress.” Perera said this at a press conference staged by Sri Lanka’s board.
“I want to start practising and get back to international cricket at the earliest.” The 25-year-old said he was hopeful of being fit and ready to play in the home series against Australia at the end of July, linking up with his team-mates who are currently on tour in England.
Meanwhile, Jayawardene took to Twitter to express his thoughts. He tweeted:
So happy that matter solved and KJP can play again.Disappointed with system and proses.@ICC player should allow to play until all hearings
— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) May 12, 2016
No one is guilty till proven and every one deserves a explanation. Let’s learn from this .
— Mahela Jayawardena (@MahelaJay) May 12, 2016
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Perera said he wanted to thank his fans for their support through the tough time. “I thank my fans and the board who stood by me during this trying period. I knew I would be cleared. I am relieved all this is over and I want to get back into form.”
