Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka arrested for sexual assault

Sri Lanka cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, who was with the national squad for T20 World Cup in Australia, has been arrested on charges of sexual assault on early Sunday.

It has been learnt that the 31-year-old Gunathilaka was arrested and taken to Sydney City police station in the wee hours of Sunday following an investigation into the alleged sexual assault of a woman on November 2.

New South Wales police said the 31-year-old cricketer was charged with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent. He was refused bail to appear at Parramatta Bail Court via video link and is expected to face court on Monday.

Gunathilaka was arrested at a hotel on Sussex Street in Sydney CBD, where he was staying with the Sri Lankan T20 cricket team in town for the World Cup. The rest of the squad flew home on Sunday morning.

Gunathilaka traveled to Australia with Sri Lanka’s T20 World Cup team but didn’t play after being ruled out of the competition with a hamstring tear.

Sri Lanka lost its final group match to England on Saturday in the T20 World Cup and left for home on Sunday.

Gunathilaka, who was earlier ruled out of the tournament due to injury, made his international debut in 2015.

The left-handed batsman has played nearly 100 T20 and one-day internationals for Sri Lanka as well as eight test matches. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) is yet to issue a statement on the matter.