Sri Lankan Legend Sanath Jayasuriya Gets Two-Year Cricket Ban

Sri Lankan legend Sanath Jayasuriya has been given a two-year blanket ban by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Tuesday after admitting breaching two counts of the ICC Anti-Corruption Code.

In a media release, ICC General Manager – ACU, Alex Marshall said: “This conviction under the Code demonstrates the importance of participants in cricket cooperating with investigations. Compelling participants to cooperate under the Code is a vital weapon in our efforts to rid our sport of corruptors. These rules are essential to maintain the integrity of our sport."

In October last year, the ICC had charged Jayasuriya for violating the anti-corruption code which deals with non-cooperation in investigations.

The 49-year-old, who served as Sri Lanka's Chairman of selectors besides being a former Parliamentarian, then said that he would comment further only after his response to the ICC is submitted.

One of Sri Lanka's greatest cricketers, Jayasuriya was the player of the 1996 World Cup which is the country's first and only World Cup trophy. His Test career lasted over a decade.

He was the first player to score over 12,000 runs and capture more than 300 wickets in ODI cricket.

After signing off from international cricket, Jayasuriya also tried his hands at politics and in 2010 became an elected member of the Sri Lankan parliament, a stint which ended in 2015. He also served as a minister during the time.

In 2013, he became the selection committee's chairman for the first time. The tenure ended in 2015 after a string of failures by the Lankan team.

His second innings in the job, which began in 2015 itself, ended after the team's home series debacle against India in 2017.