Senanayake Banned by ICC:SLC

Sri Lankan Cricket (SLC) confirmed on Saturday (July 12) that Sachithra Senanayake has been banned from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect for an illegal action.

SLC said they had received the International Cricket Council Bowling Action Legality Assessment Report pertaining to the offspiner, and Senanayake exceeded the allowable 15-degree limit in the suspect deliveries tested.

The test was conducted by the Cardiff Metropolitan University Cardiff School of Sport in England.

“The Standard ICC Illegal Action Testing Protocol was used to assess the degree of elbow extension from the point of upper arm horizontal to ball release within the bowling action,” the SLC statement read.  “The 15-degree elbow extension threshold was exceeded in the four deliveries considered to be suspect in the fourth ODI played at Lord’s.

“The report concludes that Sachithra bowled with an illegal bowling action and consequently he is banned from bowling in international cricket, effective immediately. This matter will be referred to the SLC Cricket Committee for their recommendation.”

Senanayake, 29, who has made 51 international appearances since his debut in 2012, had his action cleared after biomechanical tests at the University of Western Australia showed that he adhered to the limits of ICC’s playing conditions during Sri Lanka’s A tour of England in 2011.

He was, however, forced to undergo further tests again after Marais Erasmus and Ian Gould, the on-field umpires, reported his action during the fourth England-Sri Lanka One-Day International at Lord’s on May 31, and all four types of deliveries for which he was tested were found to exceed the allowable 15-degree limit.

Just after he was reported, SLC said that since Senanayake had played many bilateral and ICC tournaments over the past two years and three earlier ODIs on the tour without a hint of suspicion, the issue raised by the umpires came as a surprise.

Senanayake bowled his quota of ten overs for 66 runs and a wicket on Saturday as Sri Lanka suffered their first ODI series loss to South Africa at home, after losing by 82 runs in the third and final ODI.

Senanayake has played in 37 ODIs and taken 40 wickets at an average of 34.82 and an economy rate of 4.62. He played one Test against Pakistan, but took no wickets. He has also played 17 Twenty20 Internationals and taken 18 wickets.