(Reuters) – England women’s captain Heather Knight has been reprimanded and issued a suspended 1,000 pounds ($1,334) fine after she admitted to a charge over a 2012 social media post, England’s Cricket Regulator said on Monday.
Knight was pictured in blackface in a social media post in 2012 when she attended a fancy dress party at a cricket club in Kent.
The photo was deemed offensive and in breach of ECB directive 3.3, about “acts or omission prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring cricket/cricketers into disrepute”.
The report by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC), however, stated that Knight had “no racist or discriminatory intent”.
Knight, who was 21 at the time of the incident, apologised for her naivety and said there was no malice behind the incident.
“I’m truly sorry for the mistake I made in 2012,” Knight said in a statement issued by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
“It was wrong, and I have long regretted it. Back then, I simply was not as educated as to the implications and consequences of my actions as I have become since. There was no ill-intent meant.
“While I can’t change the past, I am passionate and committed to using my platform to promote inclusivity across the game, ensuring under-represented groups are afforded the same opportunities and fulfilment within the game as I have.”
The 33-year-old was appointed England captain in 2016 and will lead the team in the upcoming women’s T20 World Cup, starting on Oct. 3 in the United Arab Emirates.
($1 = 0.7495 pounds)
(Reporting by Suramya Kaushik in Bengaluru; Editing by Christian Radnedge)
