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'Sleep walking' Sri Lankan cricketer fined 2,000 dollars for trying to open plane door

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ANI Johannesburg

A Sri Lankan cricketer has reportedly been fined nearly 2,000 dollars by his country's cricket chiefs after he tried to force open a cabin door of a British Airways flight at 35, 000 feet, in an alleged inebriated condition, following the end of an 'A' tour to the West Indies.

According to Sport24, batsman Ramith Rambukwella has been fined half of his tour fees by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) after a disciplinary inquiry into the incident on a Boeing 777 from St. Lucia to London.

The report further said that the player was seen by other passengers pushing and pulling the door of the plane while apparently searching for the toilet, about two hours out of London's Gatwick airport.

 

However, the report added that the airline crew managed to subdue Rambukwella and reassured passengers that it was impossible to open the pressurised door during mid-flight and that at no point was their safety compromised.

Although British Airways had accused the cricketer of being drunk at the time of the incident, however, Rambukwella has insisted that he was merely sleep-walking

Although SLC stated that Rambukwella had also received a 'severe warning' over his behaviour, along with the fine, it however refused to divulge the exact amount of the fine, although sources said that the amount was around 1, 900 dollars.

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First Published: Jul 19 2013 | 9:11 AM IST

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