Wanindu Hasaranga has been suspended from Sri Lanka’s two-Test series against Bangladesh, one day after making a retirement U-turn in order to be selected for the encounter.
Hasaranga has been punished for accumulating eight demerit points across a two-year rolling period, and this is his second ban in quick succession. Having missed two T20Is for telling an umpire he “isn’t suited to international cricket” following a contentious no-ball call against Afghanistan, he received three more demerit points for having “snatched his cap from one of the umpires and ridiculed the umpiring in the match” in the third ODI against Bangladesh. He was also fined 50 per cent of his match fee.
When a player receives four demerit points in a 24-month time span, these are converted into two suspension points, leading to a ban for two white-ball internationals or one Test. Demerit points remain on a player’s record even if converted into a suspension point, making subsequent punishments more severe. Therefore, with eight demerit points now on his record, Hasaranga will miss both Tests against Bangladesh.
Hasaranga retired from Test cricket in August last year, in order to prioritise white-ball cricket. He missed one Test between then and now – Sri Lanka’s ten-wicket win over Afghanistan in February.
No explanation was given for Hasaranga’s retirement U-turn by Sri Lanka in their media release confirming their squad to face Bangladesh. Had he not been selected for that series, his suspension points would have carried forward to the T20 World Cup, and he would have missed Sri Lanka’s four group games in that competition.
Hasaranga was not the only Sri Lanka player to fall foul of the ICC code of conduct in the hot-tempered encounter. ODI skipper Kusal Mendis also copped a 50 per cent fine and three demerit points for after he “abused the umpires while shaking hands with them” at the end of the game
This was a first offence for Mendis in a 24-month period. Both players accepted the sanctions.
Sri Lanka have not named a replacement for Hasaranga in the squad, which included several spin options, as yet. The two-Test series starts on March 22.
It is also unclear whether Hasaranga, in light of his ban, will travel to India to play the start of the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, as he would have done if not selected for the Test series.
