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English cricket to join English football’s social media boycott
English cricket will join football’s social media blackout this weekend in response to continued online racist abuse of professional players in the country, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) said on Wednesday. The ECB with all 18 first-class county teams, the eight women's regional teams, and the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) will join the football community in switching off their social media accounts from Friday to Monday on May 3.
“As a sport, we are united in our commitment to fight racism and we will not tolerate the kind of discriminatory abuse that has become so prevalent on social media platforms,” ECB chief executive officer Tom Harrison said in a statement. He added, “Social media can play a very positive role in sport, widening its audience and connecting fans with their heroes in a way that was never possible before. However, players and supporters alike must be able to use these platforms safe in the knowledge they do not risk the prospect of facing appalling abuse.”
Cricketers have not been immune to online abuse, with England fast bowler Jofra Archer revealing last year that he received racist messages on social media after breaching bio-bubble protocols during the test series against West Indies.
