Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said on Tuesday it has ratified an independent committee's recommendation to lift a ban imposed on batter Danushka Gunathilaka, who was cleared of a sexual assault charge last month.
Gunathilaka was found not guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in Sydney when he was in Australia last year for the Twenty20 World Cup. The 32-year-old had been suspended from all forms of cricket by the SLC immediately after his arrest.
The SLC said in a statement on Tuesday that an independent committee had recommended a full lifting of the ban on Gunathilaka with "due consideration to his cricketing career and its impact on the cricketing ambitions of the nation".
"The Executive Committee of the SLC, at its meeting held on 13th October 2023, has ratified this recommendation," it added.
"They have also cautioned Mr. Gunathilaka to always uphold his status as a representative of the nation in all his future actions."
Gunathilaka last played for Sri Lanka in a first-round match against Namibia at the T20 World Cup in October 2022.
Gunathilaka was charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent of a 29-year-old woman in November by the Australian police. It said the alleged assault occurred after the two had communicated for a number of days over a dating app.
The 32-year-old, who was suspended by Sri Lanka Cricket immediately after his arrest, had three of the four sexual assault charges he faced dropped in May. He was only charged for "stealthing", the non-consensual removal of a condom during sex.
Judge Sarah Huggett said the evidence established there was no opportunity for Gunathilaka to remove the condom because "that intercourse was continuous".
Prosecutors said Gunathilaka deliberately made incorrect statements during the police interview but the judge disagreed saying his answers were likely due to "confusion, fatigue, a language barrier and possibly memory".
"The accused answered every question asked of him in the interview, and I formed the distinct impression he was doing his best to be truthful and assist the police," Judge Huggett said.
— Additional input from Reuters
