Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara has been found not guilty of breaching the ICC Code of Conduct during his side’s ODI against New Zealand in Dambulla on Friday.
Sangakkara was charged with a Level 2 offence, contrary to clause 2.2.4 of the ICC Code of Conduct for Players or Team Officials, which relates to “inappropriate and deliberate physical contact between players in the course of play”.
The offence related to an exchange with New Zealand’s off-spinner Nathan McCallum in the 26th over of Sri Lanka’s innings. While turning for the second run, Sangakkara collided with the bowler who had his back towards the batsman.
Alan Hurst of the Emirates Elite Panel of ICC Match Referees, explaining his decision, said: “I looked at video footage of the incident from various angles and considered the detailed evidence of the umpires. I found that video evidence that was put forward by the player provided reasonable doubt as to whether the contact was deliberate”.