ECB apologises for Pope Francis ‘Ashes’ joke and quickly deletes post

‘This was an ill-judged post and was swiftly deleted’, an ECB spokesperson said

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has apologised after deleting a social media post that joked Pope Francis “loves the Ashes”.

The Pope has been in hospital since February and is being treated for double pneumonia, with the ECB acknowledging that the post was “ill-judged” and confirming it was “swiftly detetled”.

The social media account of the 88-year-old pontiff posted a message to mark Ash Wednesday, saying: “The #Ashes remind us of who we are, which does us good”.

The England Cricket account then reposted the Pope’s message, along with: “Even @Pontifex loves the Ashes” - in reference to the historic rivalry between England and Australia.

Pope Francis was unable to take part in this year’s Ash Wednesday celebrations as he remained in hospital.

"This was an ill-judged post and was swiftly deleted," an ECB spokesman said. "We apologise for any offence."