Sri Lanka trio suspended; to be sent home after bio-bubble breach

Sri Lanka cricketers Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka and Niroshan Dickwella will be sent home after they were found guilty of breaching the bio-bubble in England.

Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) secretary Mohan De Silva disclosed the details in a statement.

"Sri Lanka Cricket executive committee has suspended Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka & Niroshan Dickwella for breaching the bio- bubble and they will be immediately recalled to Sri Lanka," the SLC secretary revealed.

SLC has decided to bring back cricketers Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella for breaching the bio-bubble.Video Credit - Nazzer Nisthar #ENGvSL pic.twitter.com/kfGrLC9MQv

— DANUSHKA ARAVINDA (@DanuskaAravinda) June 28, 2021

The news comes hours after a video of Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella outside the bio-bubble went viral on social media. The duo were seen roaming on the streets of Durham on Sunday night, hours after the team were battered by England in the third ODI.

Speaking to NewsWire, the SLC president also confirmed the Sri Lanka trio will take the next available flight home.

“We will bring them back to Sri Lanka in the next available flight, they are suspended pending inquiry,” Shammi Silva told the publication.

Sri Lanka cricketers in hot water after recent events

Another case..Sri Lanka 🇱🇰 Fans are now taking a social media initiative to unfollow all Lankan Cricketer's accounts as they've got a whitewash. Many have now unfollowed Lanka 🇱🇰 Captain , Kusal Perera and Danushka Gunathilaka.This needs to stop.😢 pic.twitter.com/fXNZjZ7bxm

— Sounak Manna (@SounakManna7) June 27, 2021

The controversy comes at the worst possible time for Sri Lanka, with the team grabbing headlines for all the wrong reasons in recent weeks. They have been heavily criticized for their abject performances, with many former players expressing their concern after seeing the sorry state of Sri Lankan cricket.

Fans have also turned on players as they launched a campaign to unfollow Sri Lanka cricketers after they were drubbed 3-0 by England in the T20I series. The issue comes against the backdrop of the contract standoff between the players and the SLC, with players refusing to sign the contracts offered by the board.

Sri Lanka will look to put their host of issues behind them as they gear up for a three-match ODI series against England starting Tuesday.