The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Thursday (December 12) that Sri Lanka wicketkeeper-batsman Niroshan Dickwella has been cleared to play cricket in all formats after successfully appealing his three-year anti-doping ban.
The 31-year-old was originally banned by the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) in August 2024 after testing positive for a banned substance during a random test.
Niroshan Dickwella cleared to play in all formats after successful anti-doping appeal
However, Niroshan Dickwella challenged the ban imposed by the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) and provided evidence that the substance was not consumed during the competition period and was not related to performance enhancement.
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His appeal was successful and the ban was immediately lifted, and Niroshan Dickwella is now eligible to return to international cricket. The Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) has cleared Dickwella to play all three formats of the game with immediate effect.
The star wicketkeeper-batsman last played for Sri Lanka in March 2023 during the first Test against New Zealand. Dickwella fell after the initial Test, having scored just 7 runs in the match.
Niroshan Dickwella prepares for a new start in Sri Lanka
However, he was also called up for the T20I series in March 2024 against Bangladesh but did not play a single match. Now Dickwella is ready for a new start to his career. Notably, Dickwella has been one of Sri Lanka’s key players.
He has so far played 137 international matches for his country, including 54 Tests, 55 ODIs and 28 T20Is. He has an impressive batting average of over 30 in both Tests and ODIs, with a strike rate of 66 in Tests and 93 in ODIs.
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Meanwhile, Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya was disappointed with the Islanders’ 109-run loss to South Africa in the second and final Test, as the hosts whitewashed the tourists 2-0 in the WTC series. . He stressed that the batsmen need to score more runs for the team to improve.
Our batsmen have to convert their scores into hundreds: Sanath Jayasuriya
Jayasuriya praised his team’s efforts as they fought hard and stayed in the game until the final day despite playing in unfamiliar conditions. He highlighted the need for players to convert their good starts into big scores to have a better chance of success, as they missed the opportunity to qualify for the WTC finals.
The ICC quoted Sanath Jayasuriya as saying: “The batsmen have to convert their scores into hundreds; 30 and 40 are not enough. It’s tough for these wickets, but at least two batsmen have to score hundreds on a tour like this. We didn’t understand it. All we got were two 80s.”
He added: “I think the batsmen already know the value of hundreds away from home as they have also recently played somewhere like England. This time we missed it. Although there was a lot of effort on the part of the veteran hitters, I think if they evaluate themselves individually they will realize that it was not enough.”