Niroshan Dickwella Cleared to Return to Cricket Following Successful Doping Ban Appeal
Click to start listening
Dubai, Dec 12 (NationPress) - Sri Lankan wicketkeeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella has been reinstated to cricket in all formats after successfully appealing a three-year doping ban that was imposed in August 2024.
The 31-year-old athlete, who had been inactive since testing positive for a banned substance in a random anti-doping test, is now free to continue his cricketing journey.
The ICC stated, "Sri Lanka keeper-batter Niroshan Dickwella, previously banned for three years due to anti-doping allegations, is now cleared to participate in cricket across all formats."
The Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) originally suspended Dickwella for three years, citing the detection of a banned substance in his sample. However, Dickwella contested the ruling, providing evidence that the substance found was not performance-enhancing and was not ingested during the "competition period."
After reviewing the appeal, SLADA accepted Dickwella's justification, resulting in the immediate lifting of his ban. This decision opens the door for his return to the national team, although the wicketkeeper-batter will need to demonstrate his form and fitness to reclaim his position.
Dickwella's last international appearance was in March 2023 during a Test series against New Zealand in Christchurch. In the first Test of that series, he managed to score only 7 runs, which led to his omission for the rest of the series. He was recalled to the T20I squad for the Bangladesh series in March 2024 but did not play in any matches.
