Lasith gets suspended one-year ban for media remarks

Lasith Malinga received a suspended one-year cricket ban after the fast bowler pleaded guilty to a charge of speaking to the media without permission, Sri Lanka's cricket board said Tuesday.

The sanction is suspended for six months and Malinga will also be fined 50 percent of the match fee from his next one-day international, Sri Lanka Cricket said.

The charge against Malinga came from his response to criticism by Sri Lanka's sports minister over the team's fitness levels.

Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekara castigated players for allegedly being overweight soon after Sri Lanka failed to reach the semifinals at the Champions Trophy earlier in June, with the team dropping several catches against Pakistan.

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.

Sri Lanka Cricket appointed a three-member disciplinary committee with Malinga pleading guilty Tuesday to breaching his contract with the board by speaking to the media without permission