FURIOUS ICC WARN SRI LANKA TO PREVENT SANATH MIXING WITH PLAYERS

A furious ICC warned the Sri Lankan management not to allow former captain Sanath Jayasuriya to mix with their players after he was spotted in the Headingley crowd during Saturday’s game against India.

Jayasuriya, one of the heroes of Sri Lanka’s 1996 World Cup triumph, was banned for two years in February after pleading guilty to two breaches of the ICC’s anti-corruption code following a wide-reaching investigation into Sri Lankan cricket.

The ban does not prevent him attending matches as a spectator, though it is understood the anti-corruption unit were not impressed that he turned up – and even less so when ex-India captain Sourav Ganguly praised him on the TV commentary.

‘We are making sure he will not get access to any lounge or hospitality, any team areas, officials, the players or the players’ family and representatives,’ said an ICC spokesperson.

Jayasuriya, 50, was charged last October with failing to cooperate in the ICC’s investigation and ‘concealing, tampering with or destroying evidence’.

He initially denied the charges, before changing his plea ‘for the love of the cricket, for the greater good and to protect the integrity of cricket’.

He added: ‘I reiterate the fact that I have always maintained a high degree of integrity throughout my cricketing career.’