Alex Hales tenders his apology for painting his face black in a party in 2009

England cricketer Alex Hales was named by Azeem Rafiq in the racism row that has rocked England cricket. And now, Hales seems to be in further trouble as the issue of him painting his face black in a party in the year 2009 has caught the limelight.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) will look into this matter. Hales released a video on Instagram and stated that it was indeed disrespectful of him to behave in that manner. Hales even termed his behaviour as ‘foolish and reckless’ and apologized for the embarrassment that he has caused due to his conduct.

“Obviously I realise this is incredibly disrespectful and I want to apologise for the offence this has no doubt caused. It was incredibly reckless and foolish on my behalf and I apologise for that, and apologise to the club for the embarrassment it would have caused them,” said Hales.

You can see Alex Hales apologising in the video below

Nottinghamshire releases a statement regarding Alex Hales’ behaviour

Nottinghamshire has also released a statement regarding the ‘Alex Hales matter’. The club tweeted that they will investigate into the conduct of Hales in the year 2009.

The statement added that Hales is currently participating in the Big Bash League and will return to Nottinghamshire in January next year. The club also added that the right-handed batter is willing to co-operate and will take part in the investigation.

You can see the tweet below

An ECB official said that any form of discrimination will be condemned. Adding that the allegations against Hales will be investigated, the official concluded by stating that the ECB wants cricket to be an inclusive sport.

“We strongly condemn any form of discrimination. We have procedures in place to address conduct and allegations of this nature and we will investigate accordingly. We want cricket to be an inclusive, welcoming game for everyone,” said the official.