Cricket Australia Banned Former Cricketer For 20 Years

On Thursday, Cricket Australia (CA) made a shocking announcement, Dulip Samaraweera was banned from holding any position in Australian cricket, or any State or Territory Association, for a period of 20 years. Dulip Samaraweera played seven Test matches and five T20 Internationals for Sri Lanka between 1993 and 1995. Though his international career was relatively brief, he remained active in the cricketing world, transitioning into a coaching role after his playing days were over.

What led to ban?

Samaraweera was found to have committed a serious breach of CA’s Code of Conduct, specifically section 2.23. Although the specific details of the inappropriate behavior were not fully disclosed, CA’s investigation revealed enough to impose this significant penalty.

While the public remains unaware of the full nature of Samaraweera’s inappropriate behavior, it’s clear that the allegations were severe enough to prompt an internal investigation by CA’s Integrity Department.

Section 2.23 of CA’s Code of Conduct covers inappropriate behavior, which can include anything from harassment, bullying, or creating a hostile environment. It’s a catch-all for misconduct that falls outside of game-related offenses, but still carries significant weight in terms of organizational and reputational harm.

Samaraweera’s brief tenure as Head Coach of Cricket Victoria

Before the ban, Samaraweera held the position of head coach at Cricket Victoria. Interestingly, his tenure was extremely brief he resigned just two weeks into the role, citing personal reasons. According to Cricket Victoria, his decision was partly due to a coaching appointment he wanted to make that did not align with the organization’s internal policies.

At the time of Samaraweera’s resignation, Cricket Victoria’s CEO, Nick Cummins, remarked that Samaraweera had expressed a desire to make a specific coaching appointment that Cricket Victoria could not accommodate. Cummins stated that Samaraweera chose to step down after further conversations about his role and the organization’s policies.

Nick Cummins stated, “During the recruitment process Dulip had expressed a desire to make a specific coaching appointment in his support team. That appointment was unable to be facilitated due to internal policies we have in place. Following further conversations, Dulip decided he would prefer not to remain in the role.”

Cricket Australia’s integrity department

Cricket Australia’s Integrity Department plays a vital role in maintaining the standards of behavior expected from everyone involved in Australian cricket.

Cricket Australia further stated, “The CA Integrity Department investigates complaints brought to it under Integrity Codes and Policies which also apply to State & Territory Associations. The Conduct Commission hears matters referred to it by CA Integrity. CA and CV are committed to providing a safe environment for all players and employees and the welfare of those subjected to mistreatment is paramount.”