Influential Victorian batting coach Dulip Samaraweera has been banned from holding any position within Australian cricket for 20 years after he was found to have committed a serious breach of the code of conduct for historic conduct relating to a woman which was described as “utterly reprehensible”.

The Sri Lankan former Test player, who has lived in Melbourne for almost 20 years, had become a senior figure in local cricket and was appointed Victoria’s women’s head coach earlier this year. He stepped down after just two weeks in May and is no longer employed by Cricket Victoria.

Following an investigation by Cricket Australia’s integrity department, the case was referred to the sport’s conduct commission and the 52-year-old was found to have breached the “catch-all” provision in the sport’s code of conduct that concerns conduct against the spirit of the game and bringing cricket into disrepute.

Cricket Victoria chief executive Nick Cummins said the woman involved had been brave for speaking up. “We strongly support the decision taken by the code of conduct commission today, banning Dulip Samaraweera for 20 years,” Cummins said. “It is our view that the conduct was utterly reprehensible and a betrayal of everything we stand for at Cricket Victoria.”

Cummins said the woman “has demonstrated incredible strength of character and courage” and “will continue to receive our ongoing support to allow her to achieve her goals on and off the field”.

“We will not tolerate any behaviour which compromises that position, or our people, and will always support our culture of speaking up.”

A statement by Cricket Australia – which assesses code of conduct breaches – said the organisation was “committed to providing a safe environment for all players and employees and the welfare of those subjected to mistreatment is paramount”.

Samaraweera has a long history working with some of Australia’s best female players and was assistant coach for Australia’s under-19 women’s team during the 2022-23 season.

He played seven Tests and five ODIs for Sri Lanka in the 1990s.