Sri Lankan cricket star charged over rape in Sydney

Sri Lanka's top order batter Danushka Gunathilaka has been arrested in Sydney, according to reports, for rape. The player, who travelled with the Sri Lanka team for the T20 World Cup in Australia, was ruled out of the tournament with an injury.

He, however, remained with the squad despite being officially replaced by Ashen Bandara.

Gunathilaka had injured his hamstring and the tear forced him out of the T20 World Cup.

The left-handed batter has played more than 100 international matches for Sri Lanka including their opening match of the 2022 T20 World Cup against Namibia that they lost. 

Gunathilaka has been involved in a similar incident in 2018 when Sri Lankan cricket suspended him for misconduct. Police had questioned the player and his friend over the alleged rape of a Norwegian woman in Sri Lanka. 

Then, though, the police dismissed Gunathilaka's involvement, staying that the player had no personal involvement in the case in which one of his friends had been arrested.