Colombo, Nov 8: A day after the Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) executive committee suspended 31-year-old left-hand batter Danushka Gunathilaka from all forms of cricket following his arrest in Sydney on Sunday morning for allegedly sexually assaulting a 29-year-old woman earlier last week, the country’s cricket governing body appointed a three-member panel to investigate the matter.
The panel will seek an immediate explanation from the team manager pertaining to the conduct of the cricketer and how the sequence of events unfolded.
Gunathilaka was moments away from leaving for the airport to fly back home after Sri Lanka’s exit from the ICC T20 World Cup, when he was pulled out of the team bus and apprehended by police on Sunday morning.
According to New South Wales Police department, the 31-year-old Sri Lankan was communicating with a woman for a few days “via an online dating app before they met in person”. He then allegedly sexually assaulted her on the evening of November 2. Gunathilaka faces four counts of rape. (IANS)
