Danushka Gunathilaka to face rape trial in Australia

Sri Lanka batter Danushka Gunathilaka was arrested after a woman filed a rape case against him during the last edition of the T20 World Cup in Australia. Following that, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) immediately suspended the cricketer and the 32-year-old is stuck in Australia ever since. Recently, three of the four charges against him were dropped but he is not yet acquited.

Meanwhile, Gunathilaka filed a 'not guilty' plea for his fourth charge at a local court in Sydney on Thursday (June 8). The cricketer reportedly met the woman at Sydney’s Opera Bar after matching with her on a social dating app in November 2022. "Gunathilaka entered a not guilty plea to the remaining charge of sexual intercourse without consent at a local court in Sydney on Thursday," a News18 report mentioned. 

Currently, Gunathilaka is attempting to ease his bail so that he reports to the police thrice instead of doing so on a daily basis. His lawyer Alen Sahinovic, meanwhile, has pleaded for a reduction in punishment, especially with him having no criminal history. Notably, the cricketer is now allowed to use WhatsApp messaging service and can go out at night. He was previously banned from doing so, when he first gained bail in November 2022. 

Meanwhile, coming to his playing career, the all-rounder represented Sri Lanka in 101 international matches, scoring 2641 runs. He also has 15 international wickets to his name and was a vital part of the Lankan side till he was suspended.

Notably, the southpaw made his Test debut against India in 2017, two years after his international debut. He played only two matches in the T20 World Cup, scoring only 17 runs before police arrested him in the middle of the marquee tournament. SLC have offered him significant assistance, including paying for some of his legal costs.