Published: Jan 20, 2016, 04:00 PM (IST)
Edited: Jan 20, 2016, 04:00 PM (IST)
Sri Lanka pitch curator Jayananda Warnaweera has been handed a suspension after he failed to cooperate with the International Cricket Council (ICC) in an anti-corruption investigation going on against him. The former Test cricketer and Galle Cricket Stadium curator has been suspended for three years as he failed to make it to an interview with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU). Warnaweera also failed to produce some important documents that were asked of regarding the investigation and this way he condemned rule under Article 2.4.6 of ICC Anti Corruption Code as he failed to either appear for the investigation or give a justification for doing so.
According to a report by sports.ndtv.com, a statement given by ICC revealed, “The International Cricket Council today announced that it has suspended Galle International Stadium curator Jayananda Warnaweera for three years after he failed to cooperate with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit (ACU) in an ongoing investigation. Mr Warnaweera also failed to respond in any manner to the charge and, pursuant to Article 4.8.1 of the Code, he is consequently deemed to have accepted that he committed the offence charged, waived his right to a hearing, and acceded to the imposition of a sanction within the range specified in the Code.”
However, ICC hasn’t spilled the beans about the corruption that Warnaweera has been accused of.
Warnaweera, who played 10 Tests and 6 One-Day Internationals for Sri Lanka, resigned from Sri Lanka Cricket Board last year following some allegations of corruption.
Ronnie Flanagan, chairman of ACU, went on to say, “The ICC takes no pleasure in imposing a suspension, but this decision clearly illustrates what the Code means to the ICC and how seriously we take matters that relate to corruption. It should also act as a reminder to Participants of the need to comply with their obligations under the Code. The ICC has a zero-tolerance approach towards corruption and it will not hesitate in taking such decisions in its endeavor to eliminate this menace from the sport.”
