The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has issued an apology after a social media post made light of a message from Pope Francis regarding Ash Wednesday.

The 88-year-old Pope, who has been receiving treatment for double pneumonia at Rome’s Gemelli hospital since February, posted a reflective message on his X account to mark the beginning of Lent.

His post read: "The Ashes remind us of who we are, which does us good. It puts us in our place, smooths out the rough edges of our narcissism, brings us back to reality, and makes us more humble and open to one another.

"None of us is God; we are all on a journey."

In response, the official England Cricket account replied: "Even @Pontifex loves The Ashes", referencing the historic cricket rivalry between England and Australia.

One X user referred to the joke as "vile", while another seemed to see the humorous side, saying: "no one can have a laugh anymore".

The post was swiftly deleted following the backlash.

According to the BBC, an ECB spokesperson said: "This was an ill-judged post and was swiftly removed. We apologise for any offence caused."