Prominent Victorian batting coach Dulip Samaraweera has been prohibited from holding any role within Australian cricket for 20 years, following a finding that he committed a grave violation of the code of conduct due to past actions involving a woman deemed 'utterly reprehensible'. The former Sri Lankan Test player, who has resided in Melbourne for nearly two decades, had risen to a prominent position in local cricket and was appointed as Victoria’s women’s head coach earlier this year. However, he resigned just two weeks into the role in May and is no longer associated with Cricket Victoria.
An investigation conducted by Cricket Australia’s integrity unit led to the case being forwarded to the sport’s conduct commission. The 52-year-old was found to have contravened the 'catch-all' clause in the cricket code of conduct, which addresses actions that undermine the spirit of the game and bring cricket into disrepute. Nick Cummins, Cricket Victoria’s chief executive, expressed strong support for the 20-year ban imposed by the code of conduct commission. Cummins stated, 'We believe the conduct was utterly reprehensible and a betrayal of everything we stand for at Cricket Victoria.'
Cummins commended the woman for her 'incredible strength of character and courage' and assured that she would continue to receive Cricket Victoria’s support to help her achieve her goals both on and off the field. 'We will not tolerate any behavior that jeopardizes our position or our people, and we will always support our culture of speaking up,' he added. A Cricket Australia statement, which evaluates code of conduct breaches, emphasized the organization’s commitment to providing a safe environment for all players and employees, with the welfare of those subjected to mistreatment being paramount.
Samaraweera has a lengthy history of working with some of Australia’s top female players and served as assistant coach for Australia’s under-19 women’s team during the 2022-23 season. He represented Sri Lanka in seven Tests and five ODIs during the 1990s.
