Dinesh Chandimal has to attend a hearing with Javagal Srinath, the match referee, to defend himself after pleading ‘not guilty’ to a charge of trying to alter the condition of the ball during the second Test against West Indies.
Chandimal was charged by on-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould, and third umpire Richard Kettleborough, with changing the condition of the ball after play on Saturday’s third day.
The official charge – levelled by the umpires after viewing footage from the second day of the match – is breaching Level 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct, but Chandimal hasn’t accepted it, and that has necessitated the hearing with Srinath.
Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has pleaded not guilty to attempting to change the condition of the ball during the St.Lucia Test. Hearing to follow after completion of the match. #WIvSL
FULL DETAILS ➡️ https://t.co/2j6AKOPDAq pic.twitter.com/FV1TyMfCIp— ICC (@ICC) June 17, 2018
It was on the third day that the episode came to light, when Dar and Gould changed the match ball and awarded five penalty runs to West Indies following concerns about the condition of the ball in the last session on the second day. This did not go down well with the Sri Lankans, and they refused to take the field, raising fears of a forfeited Test match.
In a statement, the ICC explained its decision: “The officials laid the charge after television footage from the final session’s play on Friday appeared to show the Sri Lanka captain taking sweets out from his left pocket and putting these in his mouth, before applying the artificial substance to the ball which the umpires viewed as an attempt to change its condition.
“I absolutely think umpires should be very strict on ball tampering. You saw what happened with Australia, they should have had harder sanctions years ago, it might not have led to sandpaper. But at the same time everyone needs to have perspective,” said Kumar Sangakkara in a TV interview.
“Give a fair hearing, see what everyone has to see and then make a very objective position to what’s happened and if it merits the sanctions they’ve already imposed or if any further action needs to be taken.”
The match itself, meanwhile, is fascinatingly poised. Down 1-0 in the three-Test series, Sri Lanka have taken a 287-run lead with two second-innings wickets left with one day left to play.
