In yet another major jolt to Sri Lankan cricket, Akila Dananjaya has been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after an independent assessment found his action to be illegal, the International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Monday (December 10).
The ICC further stated that the assessment has found all of Dananjaya’s deliveries to be exceeding the 15 degrees level of tolerance permitted under the regulations.
“In accordance with Article 11.1 of the ICC Regulations For The Review of Bowlers Reported with Suspect Illegal Bowling Actions, Dananjaya’s international suspension will also be recognised and enforced by all National Cricket Federations for domestic cricket events played in their own jurisdiction,” read the ICC release.
“However, according to Article 11.5 of the Regulations and with the consent of the Sri Lanka Cricket, Dananjaya may be able to bowl in domestic cricket events played under the auspices of the SLC.”
The 25-year-old can apply for reassessment after correcting his bowling action in accordance to the permitted laws.
Dananjaya was first reported during the first Test between England and Sri Lanka in Galle that the visitors won by 211 runs. He played the first two games of the series before sitting out of the final one, returning 10 wickets which included match figures of 8/195 in the second Test as England swept the three-match series 3-0. The off-spinner was to undergo an independent assessment within 14 days of first being reported, which he did on November 23 at the National Cricket Centre in Brisbane.
Dananjaya’s suspension could not have come at a worse time for the Sri Lankans who have laid low due to a string of poor performances in all forms of the game recently. The off-spinner has been a permanent fixture for his side in all three formats, slowly becoming a mainstay of the team. In all, Dananjaya has returned an impressive 27 wickets in 5 Tests at 24.25, 46 wickets in 30 ODIs at 26.93 and 14 wickets in 16 T20Is at 30.35.
With Rangana Herath’s retirement last month, Dananjaya was being looked upon as Dilruwan Perera’s partner in the Test circuit. But recent developments have thrown a spanner in Sri Lanka’s works, whose spin cupboard is suddenly looking pretty barren.
