Sri Lanka cricketer Dhanushka Gunathilaka suspended after his friend was accused of rape
Gunathilaka allowed to continue playing in ongoing Test match against South Africa
Monday 23 July 2018 11:19, UK
Sri Lankan Test cricketer Dhanushka Gunathilaka has been suspended after a woman accused his friend of raping her in a hotel room where he was present.
Gunathilaka, 27, and his friend, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly took two Norwegian women to the hotel where the player was staying in Colombo 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 police official said. "A Norwegian tourist made the complaint of rape."
He said there was no allegation against Gunathilaka, who is currently Sri Lanka's best-performing batsman in an ongoing tour versus South Africa.
However, Sri Lanka Cricket on Sunday night suspended him on a "misconduct" charge, although he is allowed to play in the match that is currently taking place.
The governing body's rules stipulate that during matches players must be back in their hotel rooms by midnight and cannot have guests.
The cricket board will also "withhold Gunathilaka's fee for the ongoing Test match until the outcome of the inquiry," it said.
