Sri Lanka batter Danushka Gunathilaka has been accused of alleged sexual assault and was arrested by Sydney police in the early hours of Sunday morning from the team hotel. This came after a police investigation into reports that a 29-year-old woman had been sexually assaulted at a residence in Rose Bay earlier in the week.
Sri Lanka lost to England in Sydney in their last group 1 game in the T20 World Cup 2022 and was eliminated from the race for semi-finals after Australia had defeated Afghanistan in Adelaide a couple of days back.
Gunathilaka, on the other hand, had been ruled out of the tournament during the first round with a hamstring injury. He was replaced in the squad but remained with the team in Australia.
As reported by ESPNCricinfo, a New South Wales police statement said: “The woman met with the man after communicating with him for a number of days via an online dating application; it's alleged he then sexually assaulted her on the evening of Wednesday 2 November 2022. As part of ongoing investigations, a crime scene examination was undertaken by specialist police at an address in Rose Bay yesterday.
Following further inquiries, a 31-year-old man was arrested at a hotel on Sussex Street, Sydney, shortly before 1am today (Sunday 6 November 2022). He was taken to Sydney City Police Station and charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent. The Sri Lankan national was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court via AVL [audio visual links] today."
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) issued a statement on Sunday morning after the news had become public.
"Sri Lanka Cricket confirms that it was notified by the ICC that player Danushka Gunathilaka has been arrested on the allegations of sexual assault of a woman in Sydney, and Mr. Gunathilaka is due to appear in court tomorrow (7 November 2022).
SLC will closely monitor the proceedings in court and, in consultation with the ICC, will expeditiously initiate a thorough inquiry into the matter and take stern action against the player if found guilty,” SLC said.
Gunathilaka has played eight Tests, 47 ODIs, and 46 T20Is for Sri Lanka since making his international debut in November 2015.
(ESPNCricinfo inputs)
