The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday (December 12) announced that the Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella has been cleared to play cricket across all formats after successfully appealing his three-year anti-doping ban.
The 31-year-old was originally handed the suspension by the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) in August 2024 after testing positive for a prohibited substance during a random test.
Niroshan Dickwella cleared to play all formats after successful anti-doping appeal
However, Niroshan Dickwella challenged the ban imposed by the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) and provided evidence that the substance was not consumed during the competition period and was not related to performance enhancement.
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His appeal was successful, and the ban was lifted immediately, and Niroshan Dickwella is now eligible to return to international cricket. Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) has cleared Dickwella to play all three formats of the game with immediate effect.
The star wicketkeeper-batter last played for Sri Lanka in March 2023 during the first Test against New Zealand. Dickwella was dropped after the opening Test, having scored just 7 runs in the match.
Niroshan Dickwella set for fresh starts with Sri Lanka
However, he was also called up for the T20I series in March 2024 against Bangladesh, but he didn’t get a single game. Now, Dickwella is ready for the fresh start of his career. Notably, Dickwella has been one of the key players for Sri Lanka.
He has so far played 137 international matches for his country, including 54 Tests, 55 ODIs, and 28 T20Is. He has an impressive batting average of over 30 in both Tests and ODIs, with a strike rate of 66 in Tests and 93 in ODIs.
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Meanwhile, Sri Lanka’s head coach, Sanath Jayasuriya, was disappointed with the Islanders’ 109-run loss to South Africa in the second and final Test as the hosts whitewashed the tourists 2-0 in the WTC series. He highlighted that the batters need to score more runs for the team to improve.
Our batters have to convert their scores into hundreds: Sanath Jayasuriya
Jayasuriya praised his team’s efforts, as they fought hard and stayed in the game until the final day despite playing in unfamiliar conditions. He stressed the need for players to convert their good starts into big scores to have a better chance of success, as they missed the chance to qualify for the WTC final.
Sanath Jayasuriya was quoted as saying by the ICC: “Batsmen have to convert their scores into hundreds—30s and 40s aren’t enough. It’s tough on these wickets, but at least two batters have to score hundreds on a tour like this. We didn’t get that. All we got were two 80s.”
He added, “I think the batters by now know the value of hundreds on the road, having played in a place like England recently as well. We missed that this time. Although there was a lot of effort from the senior batters, I think if they assess themselves individually, they will realize it wasn’t enough.”