Kusal Perera faces four-year doping ban

COLOMBO — Sri Lanka’s Kusal Perera faces a four-year ban after the country’s sports minister said the wicketkeeper-batsman’s ‘B’ sample has also tested positive for a prohibited substance. The International Cricket Council (ICC) provisionally suspended the 25-year-old after he failed an out-of-competition anti-doping test in October. Sri Lanka Cricket sent back Perera from its tour of New Zealand earlier this month while also promising to provide support for the dashing left-handed batsman to get back on the field as soon as possible. “The ICC has informed that his B sample also has been tested positive for a banned drug,” Sri Lanka Sports Minister Dayasiri Jayasekera told reporters Friday. “We are appealing against this because he was never found like this in the last four instances. “We will back him with legal representation while doing every possible effort to help him to get out of this issue.” The cricketer faces a maximum ban of four years according to the ICC’s anti-doing code. Lanka loses Malinga Leading Sri Lanka bowler Lasith Malinga will miss the first two One-Day Internationals against New Zealand and may not be available for the entire series, team officials said Friday. Malinga is still recovering from a knee injury sustained during the West Indies tour of Sri Lanka in October and November. “He has not come for the ODIs,” team manager Jerry Woutersz said. “He’s feeling some discomfort in his knee. Whether he will come between the ODIs and T20s — no-one knows.” Thisara Perera has joined the squad in Malinga’s place ahead of the first ODI in Christchurch Saturday. New Zealand also has injury concerns with Kane Williamson, the newly crowned No. 1 Test batsman in the world, suffering discomfort in his right knee. Test opener Tom Latham has been put on standby for the ODI squad. “We’re just working through that knee. It’s just a little bit niggly so we want to make sure it’s 100 percent,” New Zealand batting coach Craig McMillan said. “If it’s not Tom is the man we’ll bring in as cover.” — Agencies