ICC comes down hard on Sri Lankan internationals charged over ball-tampering protest

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has been banned for two Tests and four ODI matches for his part in the controversial second Test against West Indies in St Lucia last month.

The severity of the ban is the harshest punishment the ICC can level at a player and comes after the Sri Lanka players refused to take to the field for the third day of play in protest at the umpires and match referee changing the ball and handing the tourists five penalty runs.

As well as Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusingha and team manager Asanka Gurusinha have also been given the maximum punishment for the dressing room holdout.

The bans are separate from the ball-tampering charges brought against Chandimal and are a direct result of conduct ‘contrary to the spirit of the game’. The Sri Lanka team denied charges of ball-tampering, but Chandimal was banned for one match.

This follows a tense finish to play on day two in the Caribbean when umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould conferred with Chandimal out in the middle. And match referee Javagal Srinath later said the Sri Lanka skipper had applied saliva to the ball with the aid of something in his mouth.

Played convened after a waiting game on day three when Sri Lanka reluctantly agreed to a change of ball ordered by the umpires.

The Sri Lanka trio will now miss the second Test against South Africa in Colombo. It is a match the hosts must avoid defeat in to record a first Test series victory over the Proteas since 2006.