Sri Lanka batsman banned for one year

Sri Lanka batsman Kithuruwan Vithanage has been slapped with a one-year ban from all forms of cricket after being found guilty of misconduct, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced.

SLC's disciplinary committee found Vithanage was in breach of the International Cricket Council’s code of conduct in a hearing conducted on June 16, for his part in a public brawl in Colombo.

The suspension means Vithanage is ineligible for international and A team cricket, while he will also be unable to represent his club, Tamil Union.

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It’s the second time Vithanage has fallen foul of the SLC’s disciplinary committee.

In September 2014 he was fined his full match fee and handed a suspended sentence of one year after leaving a team hotel overnight during the middle of a Test match in Galle against Pakistan.

"The Disciplinary Committee was presented with written and oral evidence from witnesses to the incident in question and Vithanage was invited to present similar evidence in his defence,” SLC said in a statement.

"After a closed hearing, and in consideration of the evaluation of the evidence presented, the Disciplinary Committee has recommended an immediate suspension, specifically drawing attention to the fact that the conduct of Vithanage is ‘unacceptable when considering his status as a public figure, and a role model for the youth of Sri Lanka’."

Vithanage, who has averaged 26.42 in 10 Tests for Sri Lanka, last played for his county during the tour of New Zealand in December and January, but was dropped after posting scores of 22, 38, 0 and 9.