Galle: Sri Lanka’s controversial fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been diagnosed with a viral influenza and will sit out the second One-day International against Zimbabwe on Sunday, the cricket board said.
Malinga, who was slapped with a suspended six-month match ban earlier this week, has been told to take two days of rest after coming down with the bug.
“Medical reports have ruled him out of the next game and recommended a rest period of 48 hours,” Sri Lanka Cricket said in a statement.
It added that Lakshan Sandakan did not play in the first ODI on Friday at Galle because he had the same virus.
Malinga, 33, took one wicket on Friday, giving away 51 runs in the game which Zimbabwe won by six wickets.
The 80-kilo (176-pound) bowler was disciplined after he pleaded guilty to comparing the country’s sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera to a monkey for saying national cricket players were too fat and unfit.
Jayasekera has given national players three months to improve their level of fitness or get booted out. He said the entire team selected to play against Zimbabwe were below the internationally accepted fitness level.
Sri Lankan wicket-keeper Niroshan Dickwella, meanwhile, has been fined 30 per cent of his match fee and received two demerit points for breaching the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) code of conduct during the first ODI against Zimbabwe here.
Dickwella was found to have violated Article 2.1.1 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players and Player Support Personnel, which relates to “conduct that is contrary to the spirit of the game” during Friday’s match.
Friday’s incident happened in the seventh over of Zimbabwe’s innings when Dickwella, who was keeping wicket, after gathering the ball, held it near to the stumps and waited for the striker Solomon Mire to leave his crease.
After an unsuccessful attempt to stump Mire, Dickwella waited for another opportunity to get the batsman out long after he had completed his stroke.
“After the match, Dickwella admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Chris Broad of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees and, as such, there was no need for a formal hearing.”
