Burns rapped over Twitter spat with Hartley following defeat
Rory Burns was rebuked by England chiefs yesterday after a spat between men and women players over a tongue-in-cheek social media post by Alex Hartley.
The batsman had taken umbrage after women’s player Hartley joked that the men’s two-day Test defeat by India on Thursday had at least made time for viewers to watch the women’s one-day international against New Zealand. “Nice of the England boys to get this Test match finished just before England Women play tonight,” she tweeted, with four clapping emojis.
However, Burns, who did not play in the third Test, failed to see the funny side. “Very disappointing attitude considering all the ‘boys’ do to support the women’s game,” he wrote online, with fellow players Ben Stokes and James Anderson liking the tweet before it was deleted.
Hartley replied to Burns: “Think it’s been taken the wrong way/out of context. No offence was meant. We are all Test match fans.”
Yesterday, Chris Silverwood, the men’s head coach, said the issue was being “dealt with back in England”. A spokesman for the England and Wales Cricket Board confirmed: “We recognise the influence highprofile people have on social media,
and have reminded Rory of his responsibilities.”
Ben Duckett, the Nottinghamshire batsman who played for England in 2016, had also reacted to Hartley’s initial comment. “Average tweet,” he wrote. “Don’t think any of the men’s team would be ‘clapping emojis’ if the women lost.”
Hours after the spat, England Women wrapped up the ODI series against New Zealand with a game to spare. Nat Sciver starred with bat and ball and Tammy Beaumont struck a second half-century.
Sciver’s three for 26 helped limit New Zealand to 192 all out in the second game of the series in Dunedin, before she struck 63 off 61 balls in a 103-run stand with Beaumont. Sciver was asked about the Twitter row after the match.
“I didn’t see the tweet but I did hear about it from some of the girls,” she said. “Maybe it wasn’t the best timing – if we had lost a Test in two days I would have been pretty mad – but that’s Twitter for you.”
Hartley, not part of the England squad in New Zealand but summarising for BT Sport’s coverage of the tour, is understood to have been spoken to about her social media post by Clare Connor, director of cricket for the women’s game.
The majority of respondents on social media sided with Hartley after the dispute blew up.