Dinesh Chandimal loses ball-tampering appeal

The Sri Lanka captain will miss his team’s third and final Test against West Indies.

Dinesh Chandimal’s defence was “unconvincing” during his appeal hearing, says Javagal Srinath.

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal on Friday lost his appeal over a ball-tampering charge and will miss his team’s third and final Test against the West Indies which starts on Saturday.

“Judicial Commissioner, Michael Beloff, has dismissed Dinesh Chandimal’s appeal after the Sri Lanka captain was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during the second day’s play in the second Test against the Windies in St Lucia on Saturday,” said a statement released by the ICC.

The first ever day-night Test to be staged in the Caribbean gets underway in Barbados on Saturday with the West Indies 1-0 ahead in the three-match series. Chandimal, 28, was slapped with two suspension points and fined 100 per cent of his match fee for the offence. The points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIs or two T20s.

Match referee Javagal Srinath had said Chandimal applied an artificial substance to the ball in violation of the ICC Code of Conduct. The player was suspected of using saliva and a sweet that he had in his mouth to tamper with the ball and give it more spin. His action was picked up on television images.

‘Unconvincing’ defence

Srinath also said that Chandimal had been less than convincing in his defence. “During the hearing, Dinesh admitted to putting something in his mouth but couldn’t remember what it was, which I found unconvincing as a defence,” he said.

At the time of the incident, Chandimal denied charges filed by on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould, and third umpire Richard Kettleborough.

Meanwhile, Sri Lanka coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha were cleared for the third Test after, along with Chandimal, admitting “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game.”

The three were charged by ICC chief executive David Richardson on Tuesday for their involvement in the Sri Lanka team's refusal to take to the field in St Lucia at the start of Saturday's play, which caused a two-hour delay in the start of play.

The preliminary hearing for this breach will take place on July 10 with the decision on sanction to follow. However, “until the hearing takes place, and Beloff determines the appropriate sanction, Hathurusinghe and Gurusinha can continue to perform their professional responsibilities, including in the Barbados Test,” added the ICC.