Sri Lankan Cricketer Arrested for Rape in Australia
A Sri Lankan Cricketer named Danushka Gunathilaka Arrested on the charges of Rape in Australia during the ongoing T20 World Cup.
Why is everyone talking about Danushka Gunathilaka, the Sri Lankan batsman? Isn’t Sri Lanka already out of the T20 World Cup after they lost to England on 5th November? It’s not about the Sri Lankan team. It is about Gunathilaka himself. He has been charged with a serious crime by the police in Australia. Police landed in the Sri Lankan team hotel in Sydney’s Central Business District (CBD) in the early hours of 6th November and arrested Gunathilaka for alleged sexual assault. Police is investigating reports of a sexual assault on a 29-year-old woman at a private residence in Rose Bay, a suburban of Sydney. According to a statement from the Police, the woman met the cricketer after communicating with him for a number of days via an online dating application. It’s alleged that he then sexually assaulted her in the evening on 2nd November 2022.
Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) subsequently issued a statement confirming the identity of the player as Gunathilaka. A report on Fox Sports Australia quoted Detective Superintendent Jayne Doherty as saying, They met for prearranged drinks, had something to eat and went back to the woman’s home. The woman had taken all precautions. She met in a public place. It was just unfortunate. According to the police statement, Gunathilaka was taken to the police station and charged with sexual intercourse without consent. He was refused bail and will appear at Parramatta Bail Court. The SLC would closely monitor the proceedings in court and in consultation with the ICC, will initiate an inquiry into the matter and take stern action against the player if found guilty. However, it should be noted that the cricketer only played one game in the ongoing T20 World cup against Namibia in Round 1 on 16th October 2022. He got out to a first-ball duck in the match, which Namibia won by 55 runs. He then suffered a hamstring injury and could not play any further in the tournament, but remained with the team in Australia.
Meanwhile, The Indian team has successfully qualified for the semifinals against England to be played on 10th November 2022. The first semi-final match between Pakistan & New Zealand will be played on 9th of November.
