England Lions duo pace bowler Matt Coles and all-rounder Ben Stokes have been sent home from the tour of Australia due to a breach of rules.

The England and Wales Cricket Board have confirmed that the pair were given written warnings for their "unprofessional conduct" and later had disciplinary hearings, which resulted in the players being dismissed from the squad.

"I am very sorry about what has happened in Australia and I believe I have learnt my lesson," said Kent bowler Coles via the ECB's official website. "I have apologised to the players and coaches involved, so would now like to move forward from this by looking ahead to the start of the county season at Kent."

Durham's Stokes added: "I would like to apologise for the way in which I acted. I am determined to bounce back from this situation and I regret my actions off the field. I look forward to getting back to my county to start pre-season preparations."

No replacement players will be called up into the squad.