Cricketer’s coming out ‘confusion’

Australia all-rounder James Faulkner has described speculation over his sexuality following posts on social media as a “misunderstanding”.

The 29-year-old appeared to suggest he was in a same-sex relationship when he shared a picture on Instagram and Twitter of himself alongside his mother and a man he described as his “boyfriend”. The photo was captioned: “Birthday dinner with the boyfriend @robjubbsta and my mother @roslyn_carol_ faulkner #togetherfor5years.”

Fans and fellow sports stars rushed to praise him, with Glenn Maxwell replying to the post with the message “great courage”.

But it later emerged that the posts had been misinterpreted, with Faulkner confirming on his Instagram account he was not gay.

“There seems to be a misunderstanding about my post from last night,” he said. “I am not gay. However, it has been fantastic to see the support from and for the LBGT community.

“Let’s never forget love is love, however @robjubbsta is just a great friend. Last night marked five years of being house mates!”