Sri Lanka to Send Banned Spinner Sachithra Senanayake for Coaching

Sri Lanka's cricket authorities decided on Sunday to send off-spinner Sachithra Senanayake for intense coaching after the International Cricket Council (ICC) ruled his bowling action illegal and banned him from international matches.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary Nishantha Ranatunga said the coaching team was being asked to study reports from the ICC and take corrective action. The ICC told the SLC Saturday that it investigated a complaint following a Sri Lankan victory over England at Lord's in May and concluded that Senanayake used an illegal bowling action.

"The ICC today confirmed that an independent test had found the bowling action of... Senanayake to be illegal and, as such, the player has been suspended from bowling in international cricket," the ICC said in a statement a day after SLC announced the ban.

Ranatunga said Sri Lanka was abiding by the ICC decision, but was also moving to address any problems with Senanayake's bowling and take corrective steps so that he could return to international cricket.

"If there is anything to be corrected with his bowling action, we want to do it and get him to play as soon as possible," Ranatunga told AFP. "We want to rectify any problem." Senanayake, who twice recorded career-best figures in the Royal London series, was reported by umpires Ian Gould and Marais Erasmus during a one-day international series that Sri Lanka won.

Sri Lanka Cricket chiefs had earlier defended Senanayake, saying that he had over the past two years played many bilateral ICC tournaments without a hint of suspicion. But they made it clear Sunday that they were not confronting the ICC decision.

Senanayake has played in 39 ODIs and taken 40 wickets while conceding 1,393 runs. He played one Test match against Pakistan but took no wickets. He also played 17 T20 matches and took 18 wickets for 300 runs.