Colombo: Sri Lankan Test cricketer Dhanushka Gunathilaka has been suspended after a Norwegian woman accused his friend of raping her in a hotel room where he was present, an official said here, Monday.
Gunathilaka, 27, and his friend, who cannot be named because of security reasons, took two Norwegian women to the hotel where the player was staying here in the early hours of Sunday. One of the women later accused the second man, a British passport-holder of Sri Lankan origin, of raping her and police arrested him.
“The 26-year-old is under arrest and we are continuing our investigations. A Norwegian tourist made the complaint of rape,” a police official stated. He said there was no allegation against Gunathilaka, who is currently Sri Lanka’s best-performing batsman in the series against South Africa.
In spite of no charges being levelled against the player, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) suspended Gunathilaka Sunday night on a charge of ‘misconduct’. However, he was allowed to take the field Monday in the game against South Africa. The match ended early on with the hosts winning the game.
SLC governing body’s rules stipulate that during matches players must be back in their hotel rooms by midnight and cannot have guests. The rules were flouted by the batsman as he took guests to the hotel room all of whom stayed well past the designated time.
SLC also announced that it will also withhold Gunathilaka’s match fees for the ongoing Test match until the outcome of the inquiry.
- Gunathilaka broke rules by taking guests to his hotel room after midnight
- The batsman’s male friend was arrested after a Norwegian woman accused the latter of rape.