Niroshan Dickwella Cleared to Return as Sri Lanka Struggles in Test Championship

Sri Lanka's Niroshan Dickwella, following a successful appeal, is cleared to play cricket after a three-year ban for alleged anti-doping violations. Despite his return, Sri Lanka faces challenges in the ICC World Test Championship, needing to win upcoming matches and rely on other results for finals qualification.

Sri Lanka's cricket wicketkeeper, Niroshan Dickwella, has been given the green light to resume his cricketing career across all formats after a successful appeal against his three-year suspension. The ban, initially imposed due to a positive anti-doping test for a prohibited substance, was lifted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) after Dickwella demonstrated that the substance was not performance-enhancing during competition periods.

The cricketer, who last played internationally in March 2023 against New Zealand, was initially sidelined due to the ban imposed by the Sri Lanka Anti-Doping Agency (SLADA) starting August 2024. His absence was notable, especially after being named in the T20I squad against Bangladesh in 2024, where he did not play.

As Sri Lanka eyes crucial matches in the ICC World Test Championship, head coach Sanath Jayasuriya has urged top-order batsmen to convert starts into significant scores to improve standing. Despite a strong home record, Sri Lanka faces an uphill battle with home Tests against Australia, relying on favorable outcomes from other matches to secure a spot in the World Test Championship Final.

(With inputs from agencies.)