Sri Lanka allow banned cricketer Chamara Silva to take field

Former Sri Lanka player Chamara Silva has been given temporary relief to participate in domestic matches after appealing his two-year ban for misconduct, Sri Lanka Cricket said Sunday.

Last month, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said a domestic first-class match between Panadura Cricket Club and Kalutara Physical Culture Club in January had not been played in keeping with the spirit of the game.

The two captains, Chamara Silva, who played in all formats of international cricket for the Sri Lankan national team until 2011, and Manoj Deshapriya, were banned for two years from all cricket-related activities while the other players and managers were barred for one year.

The two clubs were also fined half a million rupees ($3,300) each and the match was declared void.

There had been allegations of match-fixing after Panadura won following unusual scoring on the third day of their match, but SLC denied the claims.

 “On the recommendation of the appeal’s committee... the accused players would be permitted to engage in domestic cricket activities pending the outcome of their appeal,” Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) said in a statement Sunday.