Sri Lanka trio admit to conduct breach

Captain Dinesh Chandimal, coach Chandika Hathurusinghe and manager Asanka Gurusinha have admitted to 'conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game' after the trio were charged by the ICC following the second Test against West Indies in St Lucia.

Following their admission, the ICC, in accordance with Article 5.2 of the ICC Code of Conduct, has appointed The Hon Michael Beloff QC as the Judicial Commissioner to hear the case to determine the appropriate sanction.

Beloff has been appointed as the Judicial Commissioner to hear Chandimal's appeal against the match referee's decision for changing the condition of the ball and will use Friday's hearing in that appeal to hold a preliminary hearing to establish the procedural schedule on the Level 3 charges.

Chandimal, Hathurusinghe and Gurusinha were charged by ICC Chief Executive David Richardson on Tuesday for their involvement in Sri Lanka's refusal to take to the field in St Lucia at the start of Saturday’s play, which caused a two-hour delay in the start of play, which occurred after Chandimal's ball-tampering charge.

All Level 3 breaches carry an imposition of between four and eight suspension points, meaning Chandimal could potentially have a minimum of two further Tests to his current one-Test suspension added to his sentence.

A full eight suspension points would result in his suspension for not only the final Test against West Indies and the upcoming two-Test series against South Africa, but four ODIs against the Proteas as well.

Following Tuesday's charge, Chandimal became the first person to be suspended for ball-tampering in Test cricket. Australia opener Cameron Bancroft was fined 75 per cent of his match fee for the Cape Town incident while captain Steve Smith was banned for a Test for bringing the game into disrepute.

David Warner was not sanctioned by the ICC but all three Australians copped lengthy bans from Cricket Australia for their roles in that incident.

Faf du Plessis was fined 100 per cent of his match fee but escaped suspension for having a mint in his mouth while shining the ball during the 2016 Hobart Test against Australia.

Chandimal's one-match ban and 100 per cent match fee fine was the maximum possible punishment available to match referee Javagal Srinath under the current ICC regulations. There are plans to strengthen the sanctions available for ball tampering under the ICC's Code of Conduct later this year.