England will not enforce a social media ban on their players during the Women’s T20 World Cup on home soil this summer, but players will be supported in navigating its challenges during the tournament.
During England’s victorious campaign in the 50-over edition in 2017, the team agreed to come off social media platform X (Twitter at the time) but some still used Instagram.
Current captain Nat Sciver-Brunt confirmed they will not have a team-wide policy for the upcoming tournament which starts on 12 June, saying the social media landscape is completely different for players of a younger generation.
“If you asked some of our younger players to come off social media they would be like ‘What? Are you joking?'” Sciver-Brunt told BBC Sport.
“But we have different ways of going about it now. I would leave it up to individuals to make their own choices but we have tools in place to make yourself feel as comfortable as you can with it.
“Social media is such a big part of what we do now, so to ask that of the team would be a bit strange. But there’s always support out there for us to work out the best way of using our platforms and using it to support the team.”
For most athletes, social media can be another source of income with brand deals and sponsorships, as well as using their following to promote events and tournaments.
Sciver-Brunt was speaking at the unveiling of a billboard at London’s Piccadilly Circus, which features her image alongside Sophia Dunkley and Lauren Bell – another example of the game’s growth and visibility in comparison to nine years ago.
Though the skipper accepts criticism and scrutiny is “part of the job” as a professional athlete, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) uses independent tech companies to monitor players’ accounts for harmful comments and also hide certain words or content from appearing on their feeds.
“I don’t really remember social media taking over my life then,” she added, in reference to 2017.
“But you spend so much time on your phone these days that it’s impossible not to see things. Personally, I wouldn’t read too many articles or comments.
“Social media is something that can be really great if you are feeling good about yourself or playing well, but also it can be so negative on the flip side so I try to keep myself pretty level-headed about it.”