Sri Lankan cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka has three out of four rape charges dropped against him in an Australian court.
The public prosecutor withdrew three of the four charges in a Sydney court, Australian media reported today. He will now reappear in court to make a plea on 13 July.
Gunathilaka, who was with the Sri Lankan team for T20 World Cup 2022, was accused of sexual assault with a 29-year-old local girl.
After an alleged incident on November 2, Gunathilaka was detained early on November 6. He was refused bail followed by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) declaring him 'suspended' from all forms of the game.
"Sri Lanka Cricket will take the necessary steps to promptly carry out an inquiry into the alleged offense, and, upon conclusion of the aforementioned court case in Australia, steps will be taken to penalize the said player if found guilty," SLC had released a statement of the matter.
According to the New South Wales Police, Gunathilaka met the woman through an online dating service and had been in contact with her for a few days.
Just hours after his team's loss to England in the last group one match, he was taken into custody at the Sri Lanka team hotel. The 31-year-old was already injured and unable to play.