Sri Lankan Captain Dinesh Chandimal charged with ball tampering

COLOMBO (News 1st) - The International Cricket Council has charged Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal with changing the condition of the ball during the ongoing 2nd test versus the West Indies in the Caribbean. Meanwhile, issuing a statement Sri Lanka Cricket announced that SLC "stands firm in our commitment to protect the dignity of the national cricketers at all times". In a tweet, the International Cricket Council noted that Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has been charged for breaching Level 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct. https://twitter.com/ICC/status/1008262712802074624 The ICC is however yet to release any video or images to the media, confirming the charges against Chandimal. Shining the ball using saliva in order to generate more swing, is a common and accepted practice among all cricketers at almost every level of the game. It is not considered an offense. Yesterday (June 16), on Day 3 of the 2^nd test being played at the Darren Sammy Stadium in St. Lucia, the Sri Lankan team initially refused to take the field over the decision of the umpires to change the ball citing that Sri Lankan players had changed the condition of the ball. On day two of the test, umpires examined the ball for evidence of tampering after suspecting Dhananjaya de Silva of attempting to change the condition of the ball by rubbing it on his armbands. Following this incident, the umpires had decided to change the ball overnight. The Sri Lankan team refused to take the field in protest, while a heated discussion ensued between match referee Javagal Srinath, Sri Lanka Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and Sri Lanka Manager Asanka Gurusinghe. While the start of play was delayed by about two hours, umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould had decided to award 5 runs to west indies as a penalty. West Indies concluded their first innings all out for 300 runs. At stumps yesterday (June 16) Sri Lanka were 34 runs for the loss of one wicket. In their statement last night, SLC noted that they had been informed by the team management that the players were not involved in any wrongdoing. The statement reads that SLC advised the team to take the field to ensure the continuity of the match and wished to commend the decision taken by the team to continue with the game ‘under protest’ to ensure the upholding of the spirit of the game. Attorney-at-Law Gomin Dayasri, joining News 1^st as a guest analyst on the West Indies tour, said he is willing to provide voluntary legal advice to the Sri Lankan team. There are many instances in which match-fixing can take place. Matches can be fixed by cricketers, umpires, and groundsmen. If the International Cricket Council is levelling allegations at Sri Lanka Captain Dinesh Chandimal, then a proper investigation must be held and substantial evidence must be presented. Later today ICC in a tweet stated that Sri Lanka Captain Dinesh Chandimal has pleaded not guilty for the accusations made upon him.