This decision was revealed in court documents on Thursday. In November, Australian authorities had charged Gunathilaka with four counts of sexual intercourse without consent involving a 29-year-old woman. The alleged incident was said to have occurred after several days of communication through a dating app.

Notably, three of the four sexual assault charges against the 32-year-old cricketer were dropped in May, leaving him solely charged with “stealthing,” which involves the non-consensual removal of a condom during sexual activity.

Judge Sarah Huggett, in her assessment, concluded that the evidence indicated that Gunathilaka had no opportunity to remove the condom because the intercourse was continuous.

Prosecutors had contended that Gunathilaka had deliberately provided false statements during a police interview, but Judge Huggett disagreed, suggesting that his responses were likely due to “confusion, fatigue, a language barrier, and possibly memory.”

Gunathilaka had been required to surrender his passport during the trial, but media reports now confirm that he is free to return to Sri Lanka.

Speaking to reporters outside the court, Gunathilaka expressed his gratitude, stating, “I think the judge’s verdict says everything. I just want to thank people who helped me during this sad time, and the last 11 months have been really hard for me.”