Lasith Malinga gets suspended ban for one year, fine 50% match fee for his 'monkey' remark

Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith malinga has been handed a suspended ban by Sri Lanka Cricket He has been given a suspended ban of six months and fined 50% of the match fee of his next ODI appearance, after Sri Lanka Cricket’s disciplinary inquiry found him guilty of breaching his contract. Malinga said players knew best about the game and likened the sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara, who had suggested military training for the team after their Champions Trophy loss, to a monkey occupying a parrot's nest.

Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith malinga has been handed a suspended ban by Sri Lanka Cricket on Tuesday, June 28, 2017, for his response to sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara’s assessment of the team after their Champions Trophy exit.

He has been given a suspended ban of six months and fined 50% of the match fee of his next ODI appearance, after Sri Lanka Cricket’s disciplinary inquiry found him guilty of breaching his contract.

He has however been named in the 13-member squad for the first two ODIs for the Zimbabwe series.

Malinga appeared before a disciplinary committee on June 28, 2017 and tendered an apology. The committee imposed a sentence of a 1 Year suspension, suspended by six months (whereby the punishment would be imposed in the event of a similar infraction within the stipulated 6 month period) and a 50% fine of his next ODI match fee according to a Sri Lanka Cricket press release.

The inquiry was constituted after Malinga's response to sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara, who had alleged that Sri Lanka's poor fielding standards were due to players' inadequate fitness, in particular their "big bellies".

In a veiled mockery, Malinga 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.

Malinga said players knew best about the game and likened the minister, who had suggested military training for the team, to a monkey occupying a parrot's nest.

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: the first violation was around June 19, before a subsequent breach around June 21.