England Women's captain Heather Knight has been reprimanded and handed a £1000 suspended fine by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) for a photo of her in blackface from 2012, deemed as racist and discriminatory conduct.
The photo, taken by a third party at a "sports stars" themed fancy-dress party at a cricket club in Kent in 2012, breached ECB directive 3.3, which stated at the time: "No such person may conduct himself in a manner or do any act or omission which may be prejudicial to the interests of cricket or which may bring the game of cricket or any cricketer or group of cricketers into disrepute."
Knight, who was 21 at the time, promptly accepted the charges, showed remorse and apologised for her conduct. It is accepted that Knight did not post the photo on social media platforms herself, and has no power to delete the photo or control how it has been posted (or might be posted in the future).
"I'm truly sorry for the mistake I made in 2012," Knight said in a statement released via the 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.
"Whilst I can't change the past, I am passionate and committed to using my platform to promote inclusivity across the game ensuring underrepresented groups are afforded the same opportunities and fulfilment within the game as I have."
While the CDC accepted there was no racist or discriminatory intent, it reiterated that the photo was "plainly prejudicial to the interests of cricket, brought the game and Ms Knight into disrepute, and undermined the ECB's strategic objective of eradicating discrimination from the sport".
That Knight has only been fined £1000, which is suspended for two years pending her future conduct, is specific to this case, with the regulator stating it would be unlikely to set a precedent. This is the first time Knight has been involved in any disciplinary proceedings, and her unpaid ambassadorial work around diversity and inclusion was taken into account. She also underwent the Professional Cricketers' Association's Equality, Diversity and Inclusion training in 2021 which, along with her cooperation, lent itself to a lenient punishment.
Dave Lewis, interim director of the Cricket Regulator, said: "Cricket is working to become a more inclusive sport and the Cricket Regulator is committed to acting positively and impartially whenever racist behaviour is reported to us.
"In this case, Ms Knight's behaviour was discriminatory and offensive, however the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) accepted there was no racist intent in her conduct. I welcome her acknowledgment of the potential impact of her behaviour, and her unreserved apology.
"In determining its sanction, the CDC also considered that the offence happened 12 years ago, that Ms Knight was 21 at the time, and that she had received little education on such matters at the time. There was significant testimony about the positive role model she has been, her voluntary work and the positive influence she has had on players from different ethnicities and backgrounds.I hope this will continue throughout her time in the sport."