Dickwella cleared to play all forms of cricket following ban for doping

Sri Lanka's Niroshan Dickwella, who was banned for three years due to alleged anti-doping violations, has been cleared to play cricket across all formats, according to the ICC. The 31-year-old cricketer received a three-year suspension after testing positive for a prohibited substance during a random anti-doping test. The ban, imposed by the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA), took effect in August 2024.

However, Dickwella appealed the ban and submitted evidence to demonstrate that no banned substances were consumed during the "competition period" and that the identified substance was unrelated to "enhancing sports performance." Following a successful appeal, Dickwella's ban was lifted with immediate effect, allowing him to resume playing cricket across all formats.

The wicketkeeper-batter last played international cricket in March 2023, featuring in Sri Lanka's first Test against New Zealand in Christchurch. He was dropped after the opening Test, having scored just 7 runs in the match. Dickwella was included in the T20I squad in March 2024 for the series against Bangladesh but did not feature in any matches.

Sri Lanka, currently at 45.45% in the ICC World Test Championship standings, have two home Tests remaining against Australia. Even if they win both matches, their percentage will rise to just 53.85%, leaving them reliant on other results. South Africa and one of India or Australia could surpass this percentage. For both teams to finish below 53.85%, Australia would need to win their series against India 2-1 with two draws, while South Africa would have to lose both Tests against Pakistan.

Earlier, Sri Lanka head coach Sanath Jayasuriya reflected on his team's 109-run defeat to South Africa in the second Test, stating that the batters need to score more runs, as reported by ICC Cricket. Jayasuriya noted that the match was closely contested and commended his side's efforts to stay in the game until the final day, despite playing in conditions different from those at home. He emphasised the importance of converting starts into big scores.

"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," Jayasuriya was quoted as saying.

The head coach acknowledged that Sri Lanka missed their chance to secure a spot in the upcoming World Test Championship (WTC) Final at Lord's.

"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 realise it wasn't enough," he added.

Jayasuriya also praised Kamindu Mendis, calling him a key player for the team.

"Kamindu Mendis is a key player. In almost every Test match, he has been among the runs, aside from this series. If you saw the way he batted in this series, it was still with a lot of confidence. You can't expect a batter to hit 50 or 100 every innings - that's why you have six or seven batters," he said. (ANI)