The Sri Lanka Cricket Selection Committee selected the following 16-member squad to play in the ODI series between Sri Lanka and Afghanistan.
Bhanuka Rajapaksa – who had initially been included in the squad – requested his release in order to take a break from ODI cricket.
Danushka Gunathilaka, who was arrested in Australia on charges of sexual assault, is the other omission.
The delayed squad announcement stemmed from the country’s sports minister refusing to ratify it – a requirement under Sri Lanka’s sports regulations – until an explanation was provided over the dropping of Karunaratne.
Karunaratne has since been handed a one-year suspended ban for breaching Sri Lanka’s player agreement during the T20 World Cup in Australia. His omission from the squad followed a string of underwhelming performances in T20Is this year, though he had received two Player-of-the-Match awards during the ODI leg of the Australia series.
Be the first to comment