Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka, who was acquitted by a Sydney Court in Australia of sexual assault charges, is set to make his return to Sri Lanka today after an absence of 11 months.
Gunathilaka, aged 32, had been accused of assaulting a woman in Sydney at her residence following a Tinder date in November.
Judge Sarah Huggett, in a recent ruling at Sydney’s Downing Centre district court, found Gunathilaka not guilty of the charges.
Following his arrest, Gunathilaka, a seasoned Sri Lankan cricketer with over 100 matches under his belt, including eight Tests, had been suspended from competitive cricket.
However, with his exoneration in the Australian case, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) had previously indicated their intention to discuss the possibility of lifting the temporary ban imposed on Danushka Gunathilaka.
The SLC had imposed the indefinite ban last year when Gunathilaka was taken into custody following allegations by an Australian woman that he had sexually assaulted her.