| Rumours do not seem to spare Sri Lankan cricket team these days and the latest player to find himself at the centre of attention was star batsman Tillakaratne Dilshan. | |
| There was news about the opening batsman failing a mandatory random dope test conducted by the International Cricket Council, a routine procedure during the ICC-conducted events. However, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) swiftly denied the rumour, saying there was no truth in the reports. “I don’t know from where the news is coming from. Dilshan has never been tested. Only two players (Chamara Silva & Ajantha Mendis) have been tested so far and nothing has found amiss,” said Nishantha Ranatunga, secretary of Sri Lanka Cricket. Sri Lankan vice-captain Mahela Jayawardene, who along with Thilan Samraweera were earlier alleged by a television channel to have involved in spot-fixing during their match against Pakistan, too laughed off the story. “I don't know how he can test positive because he has not been tested at the World Cup. The only two players from our team that were tested were Ajantha Mendis and Chamara Silva after our last game against Australia. Before that no one was tested. So, Dilshan was not tested for doping, but I don't know if he had been tested for something else.” Jayawardene told reporters on Wednesday. Lankan team manager Brian Thomas clarified: “These are just false reports as Mahela said there were only two players were tested and nothing found wrong during their tests,” Thomas said. Shane Warne is the only player to have failed a drugs test at a World Cup, having tested positive for hydrochlorothiazide and amiloride prior to the 2003 edition of the event in South Africa. | |
