The second issue relates to his time working as a private coach, while employed by cricket Victoria. Samaraweera denied the claim but decided not to participate in the investigation and was banned for 10 years for breaching the sport’s code of conduct.
The ban will run concurrently with his initial 20-year suspension, meaning he will still not be able to return to any coaching position in Australia or a state or territory body until 2044, when he will be 72 years old.
The AAP understands that so far none of the complainants have chosen to press criminal charges.
The seven-time Test representative had been involved with cricket Victoria’s women’s program for almost 16 years, including as a long-serving assistant coach with the WBBL’s Melbourne Stars, before stepping down in May.
cricket Victoria chief executive Nick Cummins had previously called Samaraweera’s conduct “absolutely reprehensible” and “a betrayal of everything we stand for” after CA released the results of its initial investigation in September.
“The victim in this case has shown incredible strength of character and courage in speaking out,” Cummins said after the initial charge. “He will continue to receive our ongoing support to enable him to achieve his goals on and off the field.
“From an organizational perspective, the safety and well-being of everyone at cricket Victoria is paramount. We will not tolerate any behavior that compromises that position or that of our people, and we will always support our culture of speaking out.”
Colombo-born Samaraweera opened the batting in seven Tests for Sri Lanka between 1993 and 1995, before moving into coaching. He was an assistant coach with the Stars since the WBBL’s inaugural season in 2015, and even served as Victoria’s interim head coach for most of last summer.
Samaraweera was due to take on the role full-time but resigned in May when cricket Victoria’s conflict of interest policy prevented him from recruiting his brother Thilan to the coaching staff.
