Three Sri Lankan cricketers were immediately called back home from the tour of England on disciplinary grounds and they will also be expected to miss the home series against India in July, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials said Wednesday. Dubbed the “terrible trio” by media, deputy skipper, Kusal Mendis, opener Danushka Gunathilaka, and wicket-keeper batsman, Niroshan Dickwella returned home Tuesday.

Sri Lanka Cricket officials said an inquiry into how they left the team’s pandemic isolated hotel in England would start after their mandatory quarantine for two weeks. None will be included in the three ODIs and three T20Is to start July 13.

Describing the same as per the quotes in AFP, an official said, “They are likely to get a minimum one-year suspension if found guilty of several breaches of their contract.”

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The trio was also pulled out of the three-match ODI series against England after they were seen breaching their bio-bubble protocols ahead of the first ODI in Durham.

Mendis and Dickwella were seen smoking in the streets of Durham, where they were based ahead of the ODI series. In a second video on social media, Gunathilaka is seen joining the pair, violating the coronavirus rules of their stay. England won the first ODI on Tuesday by five wickets. The second ODI is due to be played Thursday with the final on Sunday.

After Sri Lanka witnessing a whitewash in the three-match T20I series against England, their fifth consecutive series defeat, disgruntled fans launched a campaign to shun the team on social media.

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The hashtag #unfollowcricketers began to trend on Facebook on Sunday as thousands of Lankan fans boycotted the social media pages of Mendis and Gunathilaka, reports said. Fans were also sharing memes suggesting boycott the matches of the national team.