ICC Bans Sri Lankan Spinner for One Year

ICCThe International Cricket Council (ICC) has imposed a one-year ban on Sri Lankan left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama.

The ban, which includes a suspension of the final six months, comes after Jayawickrama admitted to breaching the ICC’s stringent anti-corruption code.

The charges against Praveen Jayawickrama were announced in August, with the ICC citing two specific breaches of its anti-corruption code. The cricketer admitted to violating Article 2.4.7, which pertains to “obstructing or delaying any investigation that may be carried out by the ACU [Anti-Corruption Unit], including concealing, tampering with, or destroying any documentation or other information that may be relevant to that investigation and/or that may be evidence or may lead to the discovery of evidence of corrupt conduct under the Anti-Corruption Code.”

These charges are linked to Jayawickrama’s involvement in international cricket and the Lanka Premier League (LPL).

Jayawickrama, who made his international debut in a Test match against Bangladesh in April 2021, has been a promising talent for Sri Lanka. Over his brief international career, he has played five Tests, five One Day Internationals (ODIs), and five Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is). His last appearance for the national team was during a T20I series against Australia on home soil in 2022.

In the domestic circuit, Jayawickrama was part of the Jaffna Kings squad that clinched its second title in the Lanka Premier League 2021, contributing with two wickets in the single match he played that season. More recently, in the LPL 2024, he represented the Dambulla Sixers, further establishing his presence in the league.