Chairman of ICC Code of Conduct, Hon. Michael Beloff to hear Dinesh Chandimal's appeal

Chairman of ICC Code of Conduct, Hon. Michael Beloff to hear Dinesh Chandimal's appeal

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ICC has confirmed that Michael Beloff QC has been appointed as the Judicial Commissioner to hear Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal’s appeal. Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha were also charged for their involvement in team’s refusal to take the field as a sign of protest.

In the second Test of ongoing Sri Lanka’s tour of West Indies, Sri Lankan captain Dinesh Chandimal was charged with ball tampering as a video caught him applying a foreign substance to the ball after putting what appeared to be a sweetener in his mouth. This act resulted in one match ban for Chandimal. 

However, the Sri Lankan captain, on Thursday, appealed against the ICC's decision to suspend him from the third Test of the ongoing tour of the West Indies due to ball-tampering. In reply, ICC confirmed that the chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission, Hon Michael Beloff QC, is appointed to hear Chandimal’s appeal.

"Chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission, The Hon Michael Beloff QC, has been appointed as the Judicial Commissioner to hear Dinesh Chandimal’s appeal. The hearing will take place on Friday, 22 June." ICC tweet read.

Legal counsel from both parties and Chandimal will join the hearing via telephone or video conference. The ICC will announce the result of the hearing through its usual channels and will not make any further comment until that time.

Match Referee Javagal Srinath, along with on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould, and third umpire Richard Kettleborough had charged Chandimal after play on Saturday for changing the condition of the ball in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC Standard Test Match, ODI and T20I Playing Conditions.

The officials laid the charge after television footage showed Sri Lanka captain taking something out from his left pocket and putting it in his mouth and then rubbing the surface of the ball.

"After reviewing the footage of the incident, it is clear that Dinesh applied an artificial substance to the ball, namely saliva containing the residue of something he had in his mouth, an action which is prohibited under the ICC Code of Conduct," Srinath said in the release.

"During the hearing, Dinesh admitted to putting something in his mouth but couldn't remember what it was, which I found unconvincing as a defence and the fact remains it was an artificial substance.

"In the pre-series briefing held on the back of the ICC Cricket Committee recommendations, both the sides were explicitly told that the match officials would be extra vigilant towards all aspects of fair play, including changing the condition of the ball and as such it is disappointing that this has happened."

Besides Coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha were also charged with a breach of Article 2.3.1, a Level 3 offence, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game”. 

The pair was involved in the Sri Lanka cricket team’s refusal to take to the field in St Lucia at the start of Saturday’s play, which caused a two-hour delay in the resumption of the game. This action is alleged to amount to a serious breach of the Laws of Cricket and to be contrary to the spirit of the game.

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