File photo of Wanindu Hasaranga.© AFP
New Sri Lanka Twenty20 captain Wanindu Hasaranga was given a two-match ban by the International Cricket Council on Saturday for abusing an umpire during this week’s series-ending loss against Afghanistan. The 26-year-old remonstrated with onfield umpire Lyndon Hannibal after the match for failing to call a no-ball on a high delivery to Kamindu Mendis in the final over, when Sri Lanka needed 11 from three balls. The ICC said in a statement the encounter had breached its code of conduct on “personal abuse”, with Hasaranga accumulating enough demerit points over the past two years to earn the ban and a fine of 50 percent of his match fee.
“Hasaranga stands suspended from Sri Lanka’s first two T20Is against Bangladesh next month,” the statement said.
Replays confirmed that Wafadar Momand‘s delivery had been above waist-high and Hasaranga continued to vent his frustrations after the match.
“If you can’t see that, that umpire isn’t suited to international cricket,” he said, according to Cricinfo. “It would be much better if he did another job.”
Sri Lanka went on to lose the match by three runs after Mendis hit a six on the final ball but won the series 2-1 in an otherwise wretched tour for Afghanistan, who lost all three ODIs and the sole Test.
The ICC also fined Afghanistan’s Rahmanullah Gurbaz 15 percent of his fee for the same match for disobeying umpire instructions.
“The sanction was imposed on Rahmanullah for changing the grip of his bat on the field of play despite being repeatedly warned not to do so,” the statement said.
It said both players had “admitted the offences and accepted the sanctions”.
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