Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has reportedly sanctioned the players involved in the disciplinary breaches following the high-intensity Tri-Nation A Series match between Sri Lanka A and India A in Dambulla on Monday (June 15).
According to Cricbuzz, match referee Pradeep Jeyapragash handed the penalties, with Sri Lanka A player Vishen Halambage being the primary recipient of the punishment.
Earlier, it was reported that Halambage had been targeting Vaibhav Sooryavanshi since the first game of the tournament and sledged him during Monday’s clash when India A batted.
The provocation peaked after a dramatic Super Over victory on Monday, with Halambage reportedly telling the 15-year-old Indian prodigy, "Go home, this is not the IPL". This prompted Sooryavanshi to charge back, leading to a physical shove that required intervention from senior players like Niroshan Dickwella to defuse the situation.
Interestingly, Dickwella has been also fined despite acting as the peacemaker in this episode. However, his fine was for an entirely unrelated on-field incident during the game, heavily suspected to be excessive appealing.
The report couldn’t confirm whether any sanctions have also been imposed on Sooryavanshi, who aggressively approached the Sri Lankan celebration huddle and pushed Halambage.
The penalties were imposed under SLC's jurisdiction as the International Cricket Council (ICC) does not oversee disciplinary issues for A-team tours.
Meanwhile, Cricbuzz also reported that senior Sri Lankan cricketers who have interacted with Vaibhav Sooryavanshi through the IPL have reached out to the teenage batting sensation, expressing regret over the post-match altercation with Sri Lanka A players.
As per the report, some members of the Sri Lanka A team also felt their camp owed an apology to the Indian side. However, it remains unclear whether such an apology has been conveyed.
Coming to the match, Sri Lanka A defeated India A in the Super Over after the regulation match ended in a tie, with both teams scoring 265. While the hosts scored 16 runs in the Super Over, India A managed only 9 runs.
