Sri Lanka suspended three players on Monday, including vice-captain Kusal Mendis, and withdrew them from the upcoming ODI tournament in England over a breach of their bio-secure Covid-19 bubble.

Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella were seen smoking in the streets of Durham, where they are based ahead of this week’s first ODI 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 Cricket said the three players were suspended from all forms of the game until an inquiry was completed.

“This decision was taken following a preliminary inquiry conducted over a video posted on social media in which the said three players can be seen outside their designated hotel,” the board said.

A cricket board source told AFP that none of the players were supposed to go out of their hotel unescorted.

“The three players have been asked to return home today,” the cricket board source said. “They can no longer return to the bubble because that could be a risk for other players.”

Sri Lanka are due to play three ODI matches against hosts England. Sri Lanka were swept 3-0 by England in the T20I series that concluded Saturday, with the hosts cruising to a thumping 89-run victory in Southampton.

Disgruntled fans launched a campaign to shun the team on social media after they slumped to a dismal fifth consecutive T20I series defeat.

The hashtag #unfollowcricketers began to trend on Facebook this past 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 TV.

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.

© Agence France-Presse