All-rounder Dasun Shanaka is in trouble after he allegedly fakes a concussion to play for Dubai Capitals in ILT20.
The former white ball captain of Sri Lanka was supposed to play a three-day match for his cricket club, Sinhalese Sports Club against Moors Sports Club. He finished playing for two days however, he claimed that he had been in a nearby hospital to get checked for a concussion. After the approval of a substitute, he flew off to Dubai to play in the ILT20 after another physiotherapist cleared his way.
He bowled 21 overs on the first day and scored an unbeaten 39 runs on day 2. He reached 123 runs in 87 balls before leaving the field early on day 3. He was not available in the second innings and just a few hours later, he was seen playing for Dubai Capitals where he made 34 runs in 12 balls. Then he played 3 more matches for the team until they eventually won the title.
SLC has filed a chargesheet against Shanaka mentioning that the referee Wendell Labrooy was misled into believing Shanaka has a concussion to approve a substitute.
The SLC CEO Ashley de Silva told ESPNCricInfo, “SSC [Shanaka’s first-class club] would probably be conducting their own inquiry as well”.
In his defence, Shanaka said, “SLC and the club knew I had to leave,” Shanaka said. “I only came back because there was a request from the SSC to play this first-class match. But my other team wanted me back, as I’d helped win two games for them earlier in the tournament.”
If found guilty, Shanaka could face fines, suspension or even a temporary ban from the domestic teams. Earlier, Lasith Malinga was also in a similar situation when he played for Mumbai Indians in the IPL however, he did not abandon his domestic match to play the international one.
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