BAN vs SL: Sri Lankan spin bowling all-rounder Wanindu Hasaranga isn’t having a great time on the field during the ongoing Sri Lanka tour of Bangladesh 2024. Hasaranga, who recently came back from test retirement, has now been handed a 2 Test match ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for his foul play during the recently held ODI series against Bangladesh.
The star spinner was found guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct, which deals with the behaviour of the players on the field. As per Article 2.8 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, relating to “showing dissent at an Umpire’s decision during an International Match,” Hasaranga was found off-guard by the ICC.
Wanindu Hasaranga ridiculed the umpiring in the last ODI against Bangladesh and was also seen snatching his cap from one of the umpires. The incident happened in the 37th over of the innings.
Following the incident, ICC heavily penalised the cricketer. Wanindu Hasaranga was fined 50 per cent of his match fee and was handed three demerit points for his poor conduct on the field. It’s worth noting that Hasaranga was already handed 5 demerit points for his misconduct last month during the T20I series against Afghanistan and now with the addition of the latest demerit points, he breaches the threshold of eight demerit points.
The spinner has now accumulated eight demerit points in the span of 24 months, which is disastrous for any cricketer. According to article 7.6 of the Code, those demerit points have been converted into four suspension points, which equates to either four ODI or T20I match suspensions or two test match suspensions, whichever comes first.
Owing to the ban imposed by the apex cricket body, Wanindu Hasaranga will not be able to take part in the Test series against Bangladesh, which comprises two matches. Both the games are part of the ICC World Test Championship 2023-25 cycle.
BAN vs SL: Kusal Mendis earned 3 Demerit Points
In addition to Wanindu Hasaranga’s ban, Sri Lankan skipper Kusal Mendis was handed three demerit points for his foul conduct by the ICC in the third ODI against Bangladesh. The charges were levelled on Mendis for a level 2 offence for abusing the umpires during post-match handshakes.
For the offence, Kusal Mendis was penalised with a 50 per cent match fee and an additional three demerit points. Both the concerned players have admitted the offence and accepted the sanctions. So there was no requirement for formal hearings.