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Sri Lankan Cricketer Arrested in Australia for Alleged Sexual Assault

A Sri Lanka batter was ruled out of the T20 men’s cricket World Cup during the first round with a hamstring injury. Despite being replaced with another cricketer, he stayed in Australia with the national cricket team.
Sputnik
Australia’s police on Sunday arrested Sri Lanka’s cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka at the team hotel in Sydney after a 29-year-old woman accused him of sexual assault earlier in the week.
"He (Gunathilaka) was taken to Sydney City Police Station and charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent," a New South Wales police statement said.
As per the preliminary investigation, the accused met with the woman after communicating with her for several days via an online dating application. The victim alleged that the Sri Lankan batter sexually assaulted her on the evening of November 2.
Confirming the arrest, the Sri Lankan Cricket board said that Gunathilaka is due to appear in court on Monday.
"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," the Sri Lankan cricket board said.
Gunathilaka has played eight Tests, 47 ODIs and 46 T20Is for Sri Lanka since making his international debut in November 2015.
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