Gurusinha on ball tampering: 'Team members did not know'

Based on television evidence, Shanaka was penalised by the ICC for "picking up an area on the ball next to the seam several times".

Shanaka admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee David Boon.

Penalised 75 per cent of his match fee by the ICC for changing the condition of the ball on the second day of the second Test here, Sri Lankan seamer Dasun Shanaka was introduced into the attack some quarter of an hour before lunch. He struck, removing Cheteshwar Pujara.

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Shanaka, according to an ICC release, admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by match referee David Boon. The ICC has also added three demerit points to his disciplinary record.

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Umpires Joel Wilson and Richard Kettleborough, third umpire Nigel Llong and fourth umpire Chettithody Shamshuddin, based on television evidence, charged Shanaka for ``picking up an area on the ball next to the seam several times.’’

At the press conference here team manager Asanka Gurusinha said: "It was actually an error in judgement on Dasun’s part. Just one over, it happened. None of the team members knew that and it wasn’t planned. He is very remorseful. He takes full responsibility for that. It wasn’t frustrating or anything that he did it.

"The senior players have spoken to him. He needs support. He is a young kid and this is his third Test match. The team has got disciplinary guidelines and he has to follow that. I don’t want to go into detail. We had a chat with the Match Referee. We have seen all of that. The best thing for the team is to let it go.’’