Sri Lankan cricketer seeks no jury after being accused of sexual assault during T20 World Cup

Sri Lankan international cricketer Danushka Gunathilaka wants to avoid placing his fate in the hands of a jury when on trial accused of sexually assaulting a woman while on tour in Sydney for the T20 World Cup.

The 32-year-old is facing one count of sexual intercourse without consent, after the public prosecutor withdrew three other charges earlier this year.

He appeared at Sydney’s Downing Centre District Court on Friday where his lawyer asked for an arraignment to be delayed until an application for a judge-alone trial can be lodged.

Crown prosecutors will contest the application at a hearing on July 24.

Police allege the batsman met up with a 29-year-old woman at Sydney’s Opera Bar after matching with her on Tinder in November 2022.

The pair then returned to her home in Sydney’s eastern suburbs before Gunathilaka allegedly choked her and raped her without a condom.