Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga will face a disciplinary inquiry from Sri Lanka Cricket for “repeated breach” of the terms of his contract.
The inquiry was precipitated by Malinga’s response to sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara, who had alleged Sri Lanka’s poor fielding standards were owed to players’ inadequate fitness – in particular their “big bellies”. Malinga had not taken direct aim at Jayasekara in a stinging response, but nevertheless had implied in an interview that the sports minister was no more than an armchair critic, and had not played cricket at a sufficiently high level for his criticism to be taken seriously.
A release from SLC said the fast bowler had twice acted in “contravention of the terms of agreement,” which bar him from making any statements to the media without the prior consent of the board’s Chief Executive Officer.
SLC said it had decided to take disciplinary action after Malinga’s first violation around June 19, before a subsequent breach around June 21 prompted the board’s executive committee to expedite the inquiry, which will be conducted by a three-member panel. The findings of the hearing will be forwarded to the executive committee for disciplinary action.
SLC also called an emergency meeting on Tuesday to address several issues, which include the resignation of coach Graham Ford, interim appointment of a head coach, and the inquiry against Malinga.
