Sri Lanka tamper tantrum

WORLD champion Justin Gatlin will not be starring at next month’s Athletics World Cup in London.

Gatlin, 36, will be ineligible having decided not to take part in next week’s US championships.

It is a blow to organisers of the inaugural World Cup, an eight-nation showdown at the London Stadium, who are keen to attract boxoffice stars following the retirement of Usain Bolt.

Other Americans who won’t be eligible are world indoor 60m record holder Christian Coleman and sprinter Allyson Felix. SRI LANKA refused to take the field in protest at a ball-tampering penalty awarded against them at the start of the third day of the second Test in St Lucia yesterday.

Umpires Ian Gould and Aleem Dar changed the ball and awarded West Indies five penalty runs after having raised concerns on the second evening.

After a delay of more than two hours, Sri Lanka finally returned to the field with West Indies 118 for two. However, in a brief statement Sri Lanka Cricket said they were reviewing the situation and could still contest the charge.

Meanwhile, disgraced Australia batsman David Warner will play for St Lucia Stars in the Caribbean Premier League.

Warner, 31, was banned for 12 months for masterminding the ball-tampering plot against South Africa in March.