Sri Lankan all-rounder Nuwan Kulasekara released on bail following car crash that killed one

Colombo: The Sri Lanka police briefly detained international cricketer Nuwan Kulasekara on Monday, after a fatal crash involving his car and a motorcycle on one of the most dangerous roads in the country. He was later released on bail. [caption id=“attachment_3012160” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Nuwan Kulasekara. AFP file image[/caption] Kulasekara, 34, was on the A-1 highway when a motorcyclist travelling in the opposite direction hit a barrier dividing the lanes and crashed into the cricketer’s vehicle, police said. “He was briefly held as part of routine investigations, and then released,” a police official at Kadawatha, 15 kilometres (10 miles) east of Colombo, said. “The motorcyclist succumbed to his injuries but there were no other casualties.” A Sri Lankan Cricket press note was later released confirming the incident. “Preliminary inquiries have revealed that Kulasekara was returning to Colombo from Kandy, when the unfortunate motorcycle rider who was travelling in the opposite direction had lost control of his bike whilst trying to overtake a bus and got flung into Kulasekara’s path,” the release, accessed by  ESPN Cricinfo, said. There was no immediate comment from Kulasekara but a close associate told AFP he was shaken after the incident. The veteran seamer made his Test debut against New Zealand in 2005 and went on to play 21 Tests, capturing 48 wickets. He retired from Test cricket in June to concentrate on shorter formats of the game. Police have deployed Buddhist monks to bless dangerous roads, including the A-1, to minimise accidents. Around 2,700 people were killed last year on Sri Lanka’s roads, with about half the victims motorcyclists. With inputs from AFP