Sri Lanka Cricket Revoke Danushka Gunathilaka's Ban, Clear For National Team Return

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) on Tuesday revoked Danushka Gunathilaka's ban after the recommendation by an independent inquiry committee appointed by the board following his arrest and charges related to alleged sexual assault in Australia during last year's T20 World Cup.

The batter is now eligible to make a return to the national side after the upliftment of his ban which kept him out of action for almost a year.

As per Cricbuzz's report, the recommendation was ratified by the executive committee of the SLC following a meeting on October 13, with a caution to Gunathilaka "to always uphold his status as a representative of the nation in all his future actions".

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The 32-year-old Gunathilaka was arrested in Australia on the grounds of sexual intercourse without consent on the allegations of a woman. He was charged on four counts of rape, which were later dropped by the prosecution before trial and was also under travel restrictions for 11 months in Australia.

Gunathilaka pleaded not guilty and faced a four-day long trial and was later acquitted of all charges filed against him in the District Court of New South Wales. He returned to Sri Lanka on October 3 this year.

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"This suspension was pending the outcome of legal proceedings and was imposed considering the impact of his actions on the reputation of cricket and the country," the SLC statement read.

"After careful evaluation of Gunathilaka's exoneration and with due consideration to his cricketing career and its impact on the cricketing ambitions of the nation, the Inquiry Panel, headed by Retired High Court Judge, Sisira Ratnayake, Niroshana Perera, Attorney at Law and Asela Rekawa Attorney at Law, unanimously recommended an immediate lifting of his cricketing ban, allowing him to resume regular cricket activities and return to national duty," it added.