Stafanie Taylor to continue at Western Storm for 2018

Chandimal pleads not guilty

 

Sri Lanka's captain denies charge of attempting to change the condition of the ball.

Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has pleaded not guilty to breaching Article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct and, as such, Javagal Srinath of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees will hold a hearing following the conclusion of the St Lucia Test against the Windies.

On-field umpires Aleem Dar and Ian Gould, and third umpire Richard Kettleborough, all from the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Umpires, had charged Chandimal after play on Saturday for changing the condition of the ball in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC Standard Test Match, ODI and T20I Playing Conditions.

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.

Video evidence will be used in the hearing, which will also be attended by the match officials as well as members of the Sri Lanka team management.

All level 2 breaches carry an imposition of a fine between 50 per cent to 100 per cent of the applicable match fee and/or up to two suspension points, and three or four demerit points.

The ICC Code of Conduct for Player and Player Support Personnel can be found here.

 

Sri Lanka leads by 287

The Windies bowlers with the exception of Shannon Gabriel lost the plot on day four of the second Sandals Test at the Darren Sammy Cricket ground in St. Lucia yesterday and they have now found themselves in a spot of bother going into the final day today.

Ahead in this Test match for the first three and a half days, two poor sessions could cost the Windies dearly, as only Gabriel with 11 wickets in the match answered the call.

Sri Lanka after making 253 in their first innings closed the day on 334/8 in reply to the Windies 300 in their first effort. It means that they start today’s play with a lead of 287 runs with two wickets in hand.

It sets up a thrilling final day. But, the way play started yesterday, today may not have been a reality. Sri Lanka was reduced to 48 for four, half hour into the day’s play, as Gabriel grabbed two early wickets to add to the one he had on day three and Kemar Roach also accounted for one.

After that, it was all Sri Lanka, as little Kusal Mendis slammed a brilliant 87 to take the game away from the locals. When he was finally dismissed for 87 off 117 balls with eight fours and two sixes, Sri Lanka was already coming out of the forest. Skipper Dinesh Chandimal was the first man to help him, as he scored 39 runs.

Chandimal charged with changing the condition of the ball

The ICC has charged Dinesh Chandimal, the Sri Lanka captain, with "changing the condition of the ball" during the second Test against West Indies in St Lucia.

The ICC tweeted the news on Sunday, saying more details would follow. The charge constitutes a breach under Article 2.2.9 of the ICC's code of conduct, which deals with altering the condition of the ball by "unfair" means.

The umpires shall use their judgement to apply the principle that actions taken to maintain or enhance the condition of the ball, provided no artificial substances are used, shall be permitted. Any actions taken with the purpose of damaging the condition of the ball or accelerating the deterioration of the condition of the ball shall not be permitted.
Sri Lanka had delayed taking the field on day three of the Test over the tampering claims laid against them by match officials. The officials had also, in keeping with the rules, awarded West Indies five extra runs. The match eventually resumed after a two-hour delay, with Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) pointing out that the players were continuing with the game "under protest".

ESPNcricinfo has the story

St Lucia Stars sign Warner for CPL 2018

David Warner will feature in the forthcoming edition of the Caribbean Premier League as a part of St Lucia Stars where he will replace his fellow compatriot D'Arcy Short, who's been chosen to be a part of Australia A's tour of India during the same time frame, a CPL media release confirmed on Saturday (June 16).

The former Australia vice-captain, who lost his position in the national side for his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal in the Newlands Test earlier this year, was barred from playing international or Sheffield Shield cricket for 12 months, but was allowed to participate in domestic competitions worldwide.

Earlier this month, the southpaw was confirmed to be a part of the Winnipeg Hawks in the upcoming Global T20 Canada League. He'll also be seen in the Darwin Strike League in July where he will play for Randwick Petersham, his club in Sydney. However, his participation in the CPL will be the biggest draw ever since his career, along with Steve Smith and Cameron Bancroft's, hit rock bottom in the aftermath of the unceremonious event earlier this year. It is interesting to note that while the 31-year-old was not barred from plying his trade in the franchise-based tournaments around the world, BCCI went ahead and suspended him, along with Smith, from taking part in IPL 2018.