During the last T20 World Cup in Australia, a woman accused Sri Lankan batter Danushka Gunathilaka of rape. He was caught and charged with the crime. After that, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) quickly banned the cricketer, and since then, the 32-year-old has been stuck in Australia. Three of the four charges against him were dropped recently, but he has not yet been found not guilty.
On Thursday, June 8, Gunathilaka pleaded “not guilty” to his fourth charge at a local court in Sydney. The player is said to have met the woman at Sydney’s Opera Bar in November 2022, after they both liked each other on a social dating app. “Gunathilaka pleaded not guilty at a local court in Sydney on Thursday to the remaining charge of sexual intercourse without consent,” News18 said.
Gunathilaka is currently trying to get his bail changed so that he only has to report to the cops three times a week instead of every day. His lawyer, Alen Sahinovic, has asked for a lighter sentence because he has never been in trouble with the law before. In particular, the cricketer can now use the texting service WhatsApp and go out at night. When he first got bail in November 2022, he was told he couldn’t do that.
In his playing career, the all-rounder played for Sri Lanka in 101 international games and scored 2641 runs. He has also taken 15 wickets in international play. Before he was banned, he was an important part of the Sri Lankan team.
The southpaw made his Test debut against India in 2017, two years after he first played for his country. During the T20 World Cup, he only played in two games and scored 17 runs before he was caught in the middle of the big event. SLC has helped him a lot, and they have even paid for some of his court fees.
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