COLOMBO — The International Cricket Council (ICC) Monday banned Sri Lanka skipper Dinesh Chandimal and two top officials for two Tests and four One-Day Internationals for breaching the spirit of the game.

Coach Chandika Hathurusingha, manager Asanka Gurusinha and Chandimal refused to take to the field for two hours during the second Test against the West Indies last month after the skipper was accused of ball-tampering.

Chandimal, spotted by television cameras applying saliva to the ball while sucking a sweet, was subsequently banned for the third Test and given a fine equal to his match fees, a decision upheld on appeal.

Hathurusingha, Gurusinha and Chandimal pleaded guilty to violating the spirit of the game and the chairman of the ICC Code of Conduct Commission decided on the new sanctions after a six-hour video conference on July 11.

The trio were also given six penalty points each.

Chandimal already had four penalty points. If he receives two more within the next two years, he could face a further ban of three Tests, or six ODIs or Twenty20s, or a combination thereof depending on which fixture falls first for him.

The three already sat out the first Test against South Africa at Galle, won convincingly by the hosts Saturday inside three days, and have agreed not to be involved in the second and final Test starting Friday.

The series against the visiting Proteas also includes five ODIs and one Twenty20.

Morgan puts India series win above No. 1 ranking

Eoin Morgan has insisted England value a series win over India far more highly than remaining as the world’s top-ranked one-day international side.

England will stay at No. 1 in the International Cricket Council’s standings even if it loses its series-decider against India at Headingley Tuesday.

Morgan’s men squared the three-match series at 1-1 with an 86-run victory at the Middlesex batsman’s Lord’s home ground Saturday.

The England white-ball skipper, bidding to lead his team to World Cup glory on home soil next year, was in no doubt that a series win over India would be a bigger confidence boost than staying at the summit of the standings.

“Totally, totally,” he said. “They are a really strong side, like you’ve seen at times today (Saturday) and particularly at Trent Bridge (where India won the first ODI by eight wickets).

“So to beat them in a series would be quite significant, confidence-wise it would be quite significant.

“This winner-takes-all game, it’s brilliant. Having a game like this is crucial for us.

“It’s a significant game Tuesday. Kuldeep (Yadav) might bowl really well again, (Umesh) Yadav might bowl well.

“We’ve got to give yourself that chance to play well.”

Kuldeep enjoyed a stunning return of six for 25 at Trent Bridge but England played the left-arm wrist-spinner with greater assurance at Lord’s, even though the 23-year-old still took three wickets.

“We started better against him and the more we face him obviously the easier he got to pick. But you’ve got to play him well still,” said Morgan of Kuldeep.

England Test captain Joe Root scored a century at Lord’s as the hosts posted a competitive total of 322 for seven.

Morgan added: “I thought Joe was quite significant in that, his rotation of strike, his calm head and we did our basics well. Just emphasizing similar points that we did after (a Twenty20 at) Old Trafford — have a look at your plan, make sure you’re clear then commit to it.

“All of our plans are about positive thinking, and we shouldn’t veer away from that,” explained Morgan, who has overseen a resurgence in England’s limited-over cricket since its embarrassing first-round exit at the 2015 World Cup. — AFP