Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella and Kusal Mendis will return home this afternoon after breaching health protocols.  

by Rex Clementine  

Sri Lanka’s tour of the United Kingdom is going from bad to worse after three players were suspended pending inquiry and were ordered to return home on the eve of the three match ODI series that gets underway today (June 29) in UK’s northernmost ground – Chester-Le-Street in Durham.  

Vice-captain Kusal Mendis, opening batsman Danushka Gunathilaka and wicketkeeper Niroshan Dickwella were caught on camera roaming the streets of Durham late in the night. Players breaching team curfew, sneaking out of the team hotel late in the night or smoking in public is nothing new in cricket and even some of our finest players have crossed that line. But what was wrong here was that the trio had breached the bio-secure bubble putting both squads, coaching staff, match officials and ground staff at risk. Durham has recorded high number of COVID cases in recent past and the violation is sure to upset the English and Wales Cricket Board, who were pioneers in getting cricket underway in bio-secure bubbles after the outbreak of the pandemic in March last year.  

All three players have been fined or warned for their excesses on previous instances and Gunathilaka and Mendis in particular have been serial offenders.  

Mendis was arrested last year and was released on bail after causing a motor accident that killed a 64 year-old man in Panadura. SLC did not discipline the player and closed the case with CEO Ashley de Silva calling it a ‘personal matter’. Less than a year later, he was appointed the Vice-Captain in what was the best selection decision since wicketkeeping gloves were taken away from Kumar Sangakkara in Test match cricket.  

Mendis will never learn because Vice-Captaincy which was offered to him straight after his four ducks was given more on promise than merit.  

Gunathilaka had turned up drunk in the dressing room ahead of an ODI at Pallekele having forgotten his kit bag. He was reported by the team management to SLC and was suspended for six games. However, President Thilanga Sumathipala reduced the sentence to three games when he was running short of players to take to Pakistan in 2017.  

Next year, Gunathilaka was involved in another late night incident during a Test match but he got away with a slap on the wrist this time with Head Coach Chandika Hathurusingha protecting him.  

So, all in all, those at Maitland Place have not given much prominence to discipline and it was just a matter of time that something of this magnitude happened. Had the players been put in their places when the first incident happened, it would have carried a serious message.  

Cricket officials have got lot to learn from former cricket chief Rienzie T. Wijetilleke, who sacked a player after he was arrested for causing a motor accident that killed a pedestrian.  

There was anger among cricket fans yesterday especially as Sri Lanka had been whitewashed in the three match T-20 series without even a fight.  

SLC were keen to bring the players home from the next flight available. They were driven to London yesterday afternoon and were set to catch a flight from Heathrow at 10pm. Once they reach Colombo they will be sent for a quarantine place. The Cricket Board had taken lot of flak in recent times and this was the last distraction that they needed. Ex-Co members were angry yesterday and they met for an emergency meeting. Some of them were adamant that all three should be given five year bans while others felt that at least a year’s ban is required to clean things up.  

The board now is waiting for the Manager’s report and will decide on the next step.  

Sources said that the incident is a black mark for the country and Sri Lanka could be blacklisted for future events after a serious breach of health protocol.