Sri Lanka Cricket on Monday suspended three players, including batsman Kusal Mendis and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella, for breaching the bio-bubble during their ongoing tour of England and ordered their immediate return to the country.

The two, along with opener Danushka Gunathilaka, were seen roaming the streets of Durham after the final T20 international on Sunday night, which Sri Lanka lost by a massive 89 runs.

All three players were a part of the playing XI in the game.

“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,” SLC secretary Mohan De Silva said in a statement.

Reacting to the video, which was posted by a Sri Lankan fan, SLC chief Shammi Silva said, “an investigation is underway as they have breached the (code of) conduct.”

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Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella were seen smoking in the streets of Durham, where they are based ahead of this week’s first one-day international at Chester-le-Street on Tuesday.

In a second video on social media, opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka is seen joining the pair, violating the coronavirus rules of their stay in England, where they are not allowed to roam freely.

Sri Lanka were swept 3-0 by England in the Twenty20 series that concluded on Saturday with the hosts cruising to a thumping 89-run victory in Southampton.

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Disgruntled fans launched a campaign to shun the team on social media after they slumped to a dismal fifth consecutive Twenty20 series defeat.

The hashtag #unfollowcricketers began to trend on Facebook on Sunday as thousands of fans boycotted the social media pages of Mendis and Gunathilaka, reports said.

Fans were also sharing memes asking each other not to watch the national team on television.

There was no immediate reaction from any of the senior players, but some observers posted that the performance in England was one of the team’s worst in three decades.

Inputs from AFP