Suspended Sri Lanka trio likely to get lengthy international ban: Reports

The Sri Lankan trio finds itself in deep trouble

The under-fire Sri Lanka trio of Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilake are likely to face a lengthy ban after breaching the bio-bubble in England. The trio could be suspended for a period ranging from three months to a year.

The three Sri Lanka cricketers were suspended and sent home on Monday after a clip of Mendis and Dickwella breaching the bio-bubble went viral on social media.

Speaking to CricWire, a senior Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) official confirmed the trio will be severely punished for the infringement. For now, they are set to miss the upcoming white-ball series against India.

“It could be anywhere between 3 months to 1 year,” the SLC official claimed.

UL504 will land at Katunayake in a few hours and on board are 3 cricketers who were expelled from UK. SLC has put the foot down. The board has flown the players business class in last 25 years. These three were given economy. They will face the music after 14 days of quarantine.
— Rex Clementine (@RexClementine) June 29, 2021

The suspended cricketers will arrive today in Sri Lanka, where they will undergo a 14-day quarantine before facing a discipline inquiry in Colombo. In light of the breach, Sri Lanka have come down hard on their players, tightening bio-bubble restrictions for their contingent in England.

Kusal Mendis, Niroshan Dickwella and Danushka Gunathilaka are in for a tough few weeks after Sri Lanka Cricket chose to fly the players in economy class as they return home. The board hasn’t done that for 25 years, with players having flown in business class for several years now.

Sri Lanka Sports Minister wants tough action against trio

Opportunity & time can be invested into youngsters to represent the country, in an attempt to revive #Srilanka cricket. However, playing with a lack of intent & poor discipline should not be tolerated. @OfficialSLC must take strict action against players who violate these rules!
— Namal Rajapaksa (@RajapaksaNamal) June 28, 2021

The controversy comes at a time when Sri Lanka have made headlines for all the wrong reasons on and off the pitch. Their poor performances in recent months have caused many former players to express their concern about the state of Sri Lanka cricket.

Off the field, the players and board have been embroiled in an ugly contract standoff, with most of the country's cricketers refusing to sign the contracts offered by the board.

After the news of the bio-bubble breach came to light, Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa advised SLC to take strict action against the guilty players.