Photo Credit: Indiatimes

New Delhi: Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga has been handed a one-year cricket suspension after he pleaded guilty to the charge that he spoke to the media without the permission of the Sri Lankan cricket board.

The sanction is suspended for 6 months and he will also be fined 50 percent of the match fee from his next ODI match.

Malinga has been charged after his public response to criticism made by the Sri Lankan sports minister on the team’s poor fitness levels leading to their early ouster from the Champions Trophy.

Sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekara alleged that the players were overweight after Sri Lanka failed to reach the semi-finals at the Champions Trophy, with the team dropping several catches against Pakistan.

Malinga in response said that his team-mates knew best about cricket and called the minister who had said the Sri Lankan team must do military training to ‘a monkey occupying a parrot’s nest.’

The Sri Lankan board had appointed a three-member disciplinary committee in front of whom Malinga pleaded guilty on Tuesday to breaching his contract by speaking to the media without permission.

Post a special executive committee meeting the disciplinary panel announced the verdict on Malinga after considering the finding of their inquiry. Malinga though will be free to play in the home series against Zimbabwe starting Friday.