CHANDIMAL PLEA REJECTED, LAKMAL LEADS
DUBAI: Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal on Friday lost his appeal over a ball-tampering charge and missed the third and final Test against West Indies on Saturday. Fast bowler Suranga Lakmal was named Sri Lanka captain in Chandimal’s absence. “Judicial Commissioner, Michael Beloff, has dismissed Dinesh Chandimal’s appeal after the Sri Lanka captain was found guilty of changing the condition of the ball during the second day’s play in the second Test against the Windies in St Lucia on Saturday,” said a statement released by the ICC. The first ever day-night Test to be staged in the Caribbean gets underway in Barbados on Saturday with the hosts 1-0 ahead in the three-match series. Chandimal, 28, was slapped with two suspension points and fined 100 per cent of his match fee for the offence. The points equate to a ban from one Test or two ODIS or two T20s. Match referee Javagal Srinath had said Chandimal applied an artificial substance to the ball in violation of the ICC Code of Conduct. The player was suspected of using saliva and a sweet that he had in his mouth to tamper with the ball and give it more spin. His action was picked up on television images. Srinath also said that Chandimal had been less than convincing in his defence.
Farbrace to coach England in T20s vs Australia, India LONDON: England head coach Trevor Bayliss will focus his attention on talent scouting as assistant Paul Farbrace takes charge for the upcoming
T20 fixtures against Australia and India - the latter in a threegame series - in the coming weeks. Farbrace will step into the breach as the head coach diverts his attention to looking at individuals outside the squad. Bayliss plans to watch England Lions in action against India A and West Indies A, while also taking in the Royal London One Day Cup final between Hampshire and Kent - as well as some county cricket.