Sri Lanka Cricketer Arrested For Allegedly Assaulting Neighbour

Cricketer Ashen Bandara was arrested by the Sri Lankan Police on March 8 (Saturday) after he allegedly assaulted one of his neighbours in the evening in Kolamunna, Piliyandala, one of the suburbs of Colombo. 

He was later released on bail and will be presented before a judge on March 12 for the hearing in the case. 

"On Saturday evening, one of the neighbours had complained of Bandara causing trouble, and that he had trespassed into someone's house. The verbal confrontation had then escalated into a physical one. He was arrested on suspicion of assault on Saturday night and bailed out on the same day,” Sri Lankan Police were quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo. 

Bandara, who has played six T20Is and an equal number of ODIs for the national team, is currently not centrally contracted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) but has a professional contract with Police SC, playing in the country’s National Super League. As a result, he might face action from the SLC. 

Sri Lanka Cricket CEO Ashley de Silva, while speaking on the matter, said, “We first need to look at the contract and also look at the incident. If he is thought to have brought SLC into disrepute, then there is further action that we can take. So we will discuss the matter internally and if it warrants an inquiry we will conduct one."