
There is a dispute between the Sri Lanka Cricket Board and the players of the Sri Lankan team over the annual contract. Meanwhile, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board has fined batsman Bhanuka Rajapaksa $5,000 for breach of contract by the players. Not only this, the Sri Lanka Cricket Board has also banned him for one year from playing all forms of cricket. He has also been suspended for two years.
The investigation has found the top-order batsman guilty of breach of contract for the Sri Lankan national players for 2019-20 while appearing in a media interview. Rajapaksa had been vocal on keeping him out for the tour of England. However, with the focus on future tours, Rajapaksa has been selected in the 13-man squad currently training in Colombo, under a bio-secure environment.
Rajapaksa became eligible after passing a fitness test, one of the prerequisites for selection to the national team. He is expected to join Bio-Bubble tomorrow. Sri Lanka Cricket issued a statement saying, “The investigation found Rajapaksa guilty of breaching the players’ contracts for 2019-2020, following which he was handed a one-year ban from all formats, which was suspended for two years. He has also been fined $5,000.”
“Meanwhile, it has been decided to include Rajapaksa in the 13-member squad as part of a bio-bubble focusing on future tours,” he said. Rajapaksa, who has played seven T20 matches for Sri Lanka so far, last played against India in Indore in 2020. Now he could have got a chance in the series against India in his country, but he has been suspended.