Kusal Perera faces four-year doping ban

Sri Lanka's Kusal Perera faces a four-year ban from cricket after the country's sports minister said the wicketkeeper-batsman's 'B' sample has also tested positive for a prohibited substance.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) provisionally suspended the 25-year-old after he failed an out-of-competition anti-doping test in October.

Sri Lanka Cricket sent Perera home from their tour of New Zealand earlier this month while also promising to provide support for the dashing left-handed batsman to get back on the field as soon as possible.

"The ICC has informed that his B sample also has been tested positive for a banned drug," Sri Lanka sports minister Dayasiri Jayasekera told reporters on Friday.

"We are appealing against this because he was never found like this in the last four instances.

"We will back him with legal representation while making every possible effort to help him to get out of this issue."

Perera faces a maximum ban of four years according to the ICC's anti-doing code.