St Lucia [West Indies], June 20: Sri Lanka captain Dinesh Chandimal has been suspended for the third and final Test of the series against West Indies after he was found guilty of ball-tampering during the second Test. The 28-year-old has also been fined 100 per cent of his match fee, reported ESPNcricinfo.

Chandimal had pleaded not guilty to the ball-tampering charge levelled by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for altering the condition of the ball. He later attended a hearing with match referee Javagal Srinath, his team management and other match officials.

The video evidence was used in the hearing. "After reviewing the footage of the incident, it is clear that Dinesh applied an artificial substance to the ball, namely saliva containing the residue of something he had in his mouth, an action which is prohibited under the ICC Code of Conduct," the report quoted Srinath, as saying in the statement.

Match referee Javagal Srinath said Chandimal's defence was "unconvincing". "During the hearing, Dinesh admitted to putting something in his mouth but couldn't remember what it was, which I found unconvincing as a defence and the fact remains it was an artificial substance," the statement added.

The Sri Lanka skipper has been banned by the International Cricket Council (ICC) for playing in the final Test in Bridgetown, which starts on Saturday.

The incident comes a few months later when in March Australia captain Steve Smith and vice-captain David Warner were banned for a year for their role in a ball-tampering move in South Africa. Cameron Bancroft, who applied sandpaper to the ball, was banned for nine months. (ANI)

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