England’s T20 World Cup hero Alex Hales has been reprimanded by Cricket Discipline Commission over an old social media post. A photo of him in “blackface” taken at a student party in 2009, was published by British newspaper The Sun last year.
Hales, who had issued a public apology last year, questioned the need for “repeated publication of old matters” during the CDC’s investigation. Chris Tickle, the adjudicator, insisted it is to preserve the interests of transperancy.
Cricket Discipline Commission was formed by the England and Wales Cricket Board to handle disciplinary cases in the professional domestic game. The CDC acts independently from the board.
Hales was charged with a breach of ECB directive 3.3. He accepted the charge and informed the CDC that he had taken steps “to ensure that the photo could not be on any of his social media accounts” in 2015 and 2017.
“No such person may conduct himself in a manner or do any act or omission which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute,”
ECB directive 3.3 states.
Hales, who was previously investigated and warned by his County Nottinghamshire, questioned the need to give this old topic more spotlight. But the CDC was adamant on not letting anything go unpunished.
“I have taken this into account but consider that the interests of transparency should prevail. I direct that this decision should be published so as to emphasise that such posting on social media, however historical, will not be tolerated,”
wrote Tickle.
The 34-year-old batter has had a history of controversies surrounding him. Hales, who was kept out of the England team for three years for various reasons, made his comeback only recently and played an important part in their T20 World Cup triumph in Australia.
