Dimuth slapped with Rs.1.3m fine by SLC

By Madushka Balasuriya

Sri Lanka’s Test Captain Dimuth Karunaratne has been fined 100% of his match fee, or $ 7500 (approx. Rs. 1.3 m), by Sri Lanka Cricket for violating his player contract. The move comes after he was arrested for drunk driving earlier this week.

Sri Lankan cricketer Dimuth Karunaratne arrives at the Chief Magistrate’s Court in Colombo on  1 April – AFP

“When you’re preparing for an important competition like the World Cup, and we’re spending so much money on this upcoming domestic tournament, we just cannot tolerate this kind of nonsense,” SLC Secretary Mohan De Silva told Daily FT when asked about the decision.

Early on Sunday morning Karunaratne was involved in an accident with a three-wheeler in Borella, with the three-wheel driver subsequently hospitalised with minor injuries. Following the incident Karunaratne was arrested and released on bail, and his driver’s licence has been suspended by the Fort Magistrate. The three-wheel driver meanwhile has been discharged from hospital.

Karunaratne, who will be captaining Kandy in the upcoming Super Provincial Tournament, has since shown considerable contrition for his actions offering a full apology on his Facebook page. SLC however is keen to ensure such incidents don’t repeat themselves, and they believe the hefty fine will send a “strong message” to the rest of the players.

“We took a very strong decision because we were made to understand that even a few days ago some of the young cricketers were consuming liquor. So we just want to send a strong message to everyone that we mean business,” said De Silva.