Sri Lanka Batting Coach Grant Flower To Face Disciplinary Inquiry Over Breach Of Bio-Bubble In England

Former Zimbabwe batsman Grant Flower, who is the current batting coach of the Sri Lanka team will face a disciplinary inquiry conducted by Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board over the bio-bubble breach in England after he completes his quarantine period.

Grant Flower was one of the members of the Sri Lanka contingent that tested COVID-19 positive on return from the UK white-ball tour. Multiple players and coaching staff tested positive for this deadly virus and Flower were diagnosed after undergoing a PCR test. At the same time, SLC Data Analyst G. T. Niroshan was also declared infected.

SLC To Conduct Inquiry Into Potential Bio bubble Breach In England

Immediately upon identification, Flower was isolated from the rest of the team members (players and coaches) who are undergoing quarantine following their return from England and will follow the Sri Lanka government protocols on COVID-19. However, it has been reported by the Island Cricket website that the Sri Lankan board (SLC) will be conducting an inquiry over the bio-bubble breach in which Grant Flower, who was the Sri Lanka batting coach in England, will be involved as well.

Three players in Danushka Gunathilaka, vice-captain Kusal Mendis and Niroshan Dickwella were caught on video and photos by fans during the England tour, breaking the COVID-19 protocols and roaming and smoking outside the team hotel in Durham.

This led to SLC recalling the trio immediately mid-way into the tour, which saw the tourists losing 5 out of 6 matches against England with one match being washed out. The team management has also dropped the Danushka Gunathilaka, Niroshan Dickwella, and Kusal Mendis from the upcoming white-ball series against India which begins from July 18 at home and likely to levy a one-year ban as well.

Apart from this, the board has set up a five-member panel including Justice Nimal Dissanayaka (Retd Judge of the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka), Panduka Keerthinanda, Attorney-at-Law, Asela Rekawa, Attorney-at-Law, Uchitha Wickremasinghe, Attorney-at-Law, and Major General (Retd) M.R.W. De Zoysa, to conduct a thorough inquiry into the matter.

Out of the trio, Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis are repeat offenders. Gunathilaka was suspended for six matches for misconduct in 2017 and in 2018, he had been suspended after an alleged incident of sexual assault. Meanwhile, Kusal Mendis has been arrested in July 2020, and later released on bail, for running over a 64-year-old man in Panadura. Mendis was appointed the vice-captain of the Sri Lankan team in a year’s time.

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