Senanayake No balled
The ICC has released the findings of the alleged suspect bowling action of Sri Lanka’s off spinner Sachithra Senanayake. The report says 
the bowler exceeds the ICC permitted levels of 15 degrees. The report says the bowler concerned exceeds the ICC permitted level of the 15 degree bending of the arm at the point of delivery.
An SLC news release reads “Sri Lanka Cricket has received the ICC Bowling Action Legality Assessment Report pertaining to Sachithra Senanayake. It was conducted by the Cardiff Metropolitan University – Cardiff School of Sport in England.
The Standard ICC Illegal Action Testing Protocol was used to assess the degree of elbow extension from the point of upper arm horizontal to ball release within the bowling action.
15-degree elbow extension threshold was exceeded in the four deliveries considered to be suspect in the 4th ODI played at Lords.
The report concludes that Sachithra bowled with an illegal bowling action and consequently he is banned from bowling in international cricket, effective immediately.
This matter will be referred to the SLC Cricket Committee for their recommendation.”
Senanayake was reported at the end of the fourth ODI against England by on-field umpires Marais Erasmus and Ian Gould, TV umpire Chris Gaffaney, and match referee Jeff Crowe.
The umpires’ report cited concerns over a number of deliveries that were considered to be suspect.
However once the tests were completed the bowler was permitted to represent the country till the findings of the tests were released. So much so as a cover-up off spinner Dilruwan Perera was drafted into the final squad for the third one-day international in case the report was released prior to the start of the match and the findings were negative.
Prior to his ban, Senanayake represented the country as their leading off spinner and was a part of the Asia Cup winning team and also played a leading role in Sri Lanka’s T-20 World Cup win in Bangladesh. He has played thirty five ODIs and taken 40 wickets, played 17 T-20s and taken 18 wickets and played one Test without taking a wicket.
Prior to this, 29-year-old Senanayake, had his action cleared by the International Cricket Council’s biomechanical testing after it had been reported during a Sri Lanka’s A-tour of England.
Speaking on the issue, Secretary Sri Lanka Cricket Nishantha Ranatunga said “We will have to begin remedial action immediately. First he will be seconded to the Lankan coaching department where he will undergo the initial work on his action. Only thereafter would we request the ICC to access his action once again at one of their facilities”.
Upul Tharanga makes Test comeback after six years - File pic
Meanwhile the national cricket selectors dropped opener Dimuth Karunaratne and fast medium bowler Nuwan Kulasekera and recalled experienced opener Upul Tharanga into the Test squads that will play against South Africa. Also left out from the England series is fast bowler Nuwan Pradeep.
Also back in the international arena is Dinesh Chandimal who will probably don the gloves behind the wickets in place of injured Prasanna Jayawardena.
According to selection sources “Dimuth was dropped from the side mainly for two reasons. First, he is faced with a technical problem which he would have to work on. The second, though he has the consistently of getting on to his thirties and forties, he has failed to build on those starts. That is another drawback that stood against him whilst experienced Tharanga was nudging with a string of good performances in the recent past.”
He also added fast bowler Nuwan Kulasekera is injured while Prasanna Jayawardena also has not recovered from the thumb injury he sustained during the first Test in England.
Now with Tharanga making it into the national squad, the Sri Lanka ‘A’ team who are scheduled to leave the country today for their tour of England will take wing under Ashan Priyanjan.
The National Selectors now have decided to include Lahiru Jayaratne as replacement to Upul Tharanga while the void created by the pulling out of vice captain of the ‘A’ tour Thisara Perera will be filled by fast bowler Ishan Jayaratne. Tharanga has played fifteen Test matches for Sri Lanka at an average of 28.52 and last played the longer version of the game way back, against England in Galle, where he made sixteen runs.
The first Test will be played in Galle from 16 to 20 July while the second Test will be played at the SSC grounds from 24 to 28 July.
The squad: Angelo Mathews (C), Lahiru Thirimanne (v/c), Upul Tharanga, Kaushal Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardena, Dinesh Chandimal, Kithruwan Vithanage, Rangana Herath, Dilruwan Perera, Ajantha Mendis, Suranga Lakmal, Shaminda Eranga, Dhammika Prasad and Chanaka Welagedara.