Samaraweera Banned for 30 Years for Inappropriate Behavior

Cricket Australia (CA) has extended its ban on former Sri Lankan Test player Dulip Samaraweera for an additional 10 years, bringing his total suspension to 30 years. The latest ban stems from allegations of inappropriate behavior towards a second player while Samaraweera was coaching.

Samaraweera was initially suspended for 20 years in September 2022 after an investigation found him guilty of inappropriate behavior towards a female player. The second allegation relates to his time as a private coach while employed by Cricket Victoria.

Samaraweera has denied the latest claim but declined to participate in the investigation. As a result, he has been banned for 10 years for breaching the sport's code of conduct. The ban will run concurrently with his initial 20-year suspension, meaning he will not be eligible to return to any coaching role in Australia until 2044.

Neither complainant has pursued criminal charges at this time. Samaraweera had been involved in Cricket Victoria's women's program for nearly 16 years, including as an assistant coach for the Melbourne Stars in the WBBL. He resigned from his position in May 2023.

Cricket Victoria CEO Nick Cummins condemned Samaraweera's conduct as "utterly reprehensible" and "a betrayal of everything we stand for." He praised the victim for her courage in speaking out and pledged ongoing support.

Samaraweera, who played seven Tests for Sri Lanka, has been an assistant coach with the Stars since the inaugural WBBL season in 2015. He also served as Victoria's interim head coach for most of the 2022-23 summer.

Samaraweera was set to take over the head coach role full-time but resigned in May 2023 due to a conflict of interest policy that prevented him from hiring his brother, Thilan, to the coaching staff.

Tags: #CricketAustralia, #DulipSamaraweera, #InappropriateBehavior, #CoachingBan, #CricketVictoria