Sri Lanka vs Windies: Dinesh Chandimal Banned For Third Test For His Involvement In Ball-Tampering

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal will miss his side’s third Test against the West Indies after being found guilty of ball tampering by the International Cricket Council on Tuesday.

“It is clear that Dinesh Chandimal applied an artificial substance to the ball, namely saliva containing the residue of something he had in his mouth, an action which is prohibited under the ICC Code of Conduct,” said match referee Javagal Srinath after the judgement.

The skipper was suspected of using saliva and a sweet to tamper with the ball and give it more spin after television images picked it up.

The Sri Lanka captain got two suspension points and was fined 100 per cent of his match fee.

“Dinesh took something from his pocket and put it into his mouth. After sucking or chewing whatever he put in his mouth for a few seconds Dinesh then proceeded to spit on his finger and polish the ball with his saliva which would have contained the residue of the artificial substance that he had in his mouth, on two separate occasions,” he said.

The referee 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.

Now the skipper Chandimal would miss the day/night Barbados Test, starting from Saturday. With the draw in the second Test, West Indies lead the three-match Test series 1-0 at the moment.