Sri Lanka spinner Akila Dananjaya has been banned from international cricket with immediate effect because of an illegal bowling action.
The International Cricket Council announced the ban on Monday after Dananjaya was reported during the first Test against England in Galle at the start of November, which the tourists won by 211 runs on their way to a historic 3-0 whitewash.
Dananjaya, who collected match figures of two for 183 in the opening Test, was free to start the second Test and proved much more effective, taking eight wickets in all, including career-best figures of six for 115 in England’s second innings.
However, it was not enough to prevent Sri Lanka from losing by 57 runs.
As the third Test was getting under way on November 23th, Dananjaya was in Brisbane undergoing an independent assessment of his action, which found the 25-year-old exceeded the level of tolerance permitted.
An ICC statement said: “The International Cricket Council today announced that an independent assessment has found the bowling action of Sri Lanka’s off-spinner Akila Dananjaya to be illegal and as such he has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect.
“The assessment revealed that his deliveries exceeded the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.”
Dananjaya’s suspension will be enforced by all cricket federations for domestic matches, though Dananjaya may be able to play domestically in Sri Lanka with the permission of Sri Lanka Cricket.
Dananjaya has played five Tests for Sri Lanka since making his debut against Bangladesh in February. He must now modify his action before applying for further testing and possible reinstatement.
– PA
