Arjuna Ranatunga feels the the three players who breached the COVID-19 protocols need counseling.
Former Sri Lankan captain Arjuna Ranatunga is upset with the casual attitude of current Sri Lanka cricketers. Recently, three Sri Lankan players were spotted breaking the bio-bubble in England.
Kusal Mendis, Danushka Gunathilaka, and Niroshan Dickwella were spotted on a night out after their whitewash against England in a three-match T20I series.
Ranatunga reacted to the incident and said he would have slapped the players and wouldn't allow them to use social media.
ALSO READ: SL v IND 2021: Five Sri Lankan players refuse to sign contract for India series; left out of camp
“I would not allow the players to play with social media. They use Facebook, Instagram and do everything other than playing cricket. The Cricket administration was doing nothing about that.
"They only want publicity. If I was the captain of the team, these three players would have been clever players. I may have to slap them two or three times,” Ranatunga told Daily Mirror.
SLC has suspended the trio after they violated the rules. Ranatunga said that with the help of counseling, the three players can learn from their mistakes.
“The three players are very senior players, one the vice-captain (Kusal Mendis). There will be an inquiry and there will be a sanction. I hope that support and counseling will be made available to keep developing them, not just skill-wise as cricketers but more as people, to get them really focused on living a positive lifestyle on and off the field,” the 57-year-old added.
Sri Lanka Sports Minister Namal Rajapaksa has already expressed his disappointment over the Sri Lankan cricketers breaking the COVID-19 protocols in England.
(With Daily Mirror Inputs)