England Cricket Board Apologizes for Deleted Joke About Pope Francis and the Ashes

The ECB faced criticism after a social media post linked the Ashes cricket series to a message from the hospitalized Pope Francis.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) issued an apology for an 'ill-judged' social media post referencing Pope Francis and the Ashes cricket series.
The post repurposed a message from Pope Francis' account marking Ash Wednesday, jokingly suggesting the pontiff was a fan of the Ashes rivalry between England and Australia.
The ECB deleted the post quickly and acknowledged it as inappropriate, apologizing for any offense caused.
Pope Francis, currently hospitalized with double pneumonia, has not participated in public events since mid-February and remains under medical care.
The Ashes cricket series, a historic rivalry between England and Australia, is set to take place later this year.