England’s T20 opener, Alex Hales has been reprimanded for a historical social media post in which he appeared in blackface. The CDC reprimanded Hales after a picture of him in “blackface” at a student party was published in a national newspaper in 2021. Hales, who starred in England’s T20 World Cup triumph in Australia, was clicked in a 2009 Facebook post dressed as rapper Tupac Shakur at a fancy dress party; the image was made public in 2021. 

When The Sun published the photo last year, the opener questioned the need for “repeated publication of these old matters” during the CDC’s investigation, but adjudicator Chris Tickle ruled that “the interests of transparency should prevail.”

ALSO READ: Kane Williamson Feels Hardik Pandya Can Be India’s Full-time T20 Skipper

On the other hand, Javid, who retired in 2019, issued an apology for an anti-Semitic Facebook exchange he had with Azeem Rafiq in 2011. Rafiq was reprimanded for his role in the exchange last month.

The report regarding the same read: “Neither of those breaches related to discriminatory conduct. They were wholly dissimilar. Further, they occurred some eight years after the breach in this case. It would be different if it were a case of repeat offending, of Mr. Hales not having learnt his lesson. At the material time – 2009 – he had a clean record. This was his first offence and it is appropriate to treat it as such.”

ALSO READ: Michael Clarke Opines Players Play In IPL For Money And Don’t Whinge For Schedule

Alex Hales, who was a member of the English contingent that won the T20 World Cup on Sunday, has previously been investigated and warned by Nottinghamshire, his county, and questioned the need to give the subject “more airtime”, according to the CDC report.

In his report, Tickle wrote: “I have taken this into account but consider that the interests of transparency should prevail. I direct that this decision should be published to emphasise that such posting on social media, however historical, will not be tolerated.”