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by Sa'adi Thawfeeq

The Board of Control for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) yesterday suspended Sri Lanka Test and one-day cricketer Kaushal Lokuarachchi from all forms of the game pending a disciplinary inquiry into his involvement in a car crash which resulted in one woman being killed.

Lokuarachchi, 21 was at the wheel of a borrowed car from a club mate when he met with the accident in the early hours of Saturday near Gampaha. He was returning home after a late night at the Bloomfield club where he is alleged to have been drinking with friends. He is the captain of the Bloomfield under 23 cricket team and employed at a leading bank.

A woman waiting at a bus halt was killed and her son, a Customs officer was injured in the accident. Lokuarachchi suffered only minor cuts and bruises according to police reports.

BCCSL secretary Mohan de Silva said that the Cricket Board which held an Emergency meeting yesterday was unanimous in its decision to suspend Lokuarachchi. "We are looking at his misconduct as a national cricketer and depending on the findings of the Disciplinary committee, we will take suitable action," said De Silva.

The Disciplinary committee is headed by Michael de Zoysa and comprises Rohan Cooray, Keerthi Gajanayake, Camillus Abeygunawardena and Chandana Perera. They are expected to submit their findings in about a week.

"We don't want to destroy his cricket career totally but the ExCo was unanimous that the matter should be dealt with quite firmly and the maximum punishment given," said De Silva.

Although not a contracted player with the BCCSL, Lokuarachchi could face a ban from cricket ranging from one to three years if found guilty for bringing the national team to disrepute with his behaviour.

Lokuarachchi, a promising all round cricketer broke into international cricket early this year when he made his one-day debut in Sharjah and a few weeks later, his Test debut against Stephen Fleming's New Zealanders. He later toured the West Indies.

He was an outstanding prospect having made his mark at St. Peter's as a leg-spinning all-rounder and being picked the Observer Schoolboy Cricketer of the Year in 2001. He went onto represent his country in the under 19 World Cup held in Sri Lanka in 2000 and later the Sri Lanka Academy and Sri Lanka 'A' teams.

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