Facebook allegedly terms England team's 2018 photo 'Overtly Sexual', issues apology for it

Facebook, one of the world's leading social networking platforms, is renowned to be extremely strict and particular about its community standards. So much so that recently, the social media giant blocked an England-based photographer’s collection of images which included pictures of the England cricket team for seemingly containing 'overtly sexual' content. The news created headlines in the UK and is spreading like wildfire after Joe Root and co. beat India in the first Test in Chennai.

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Facebook banned England cricket team huddle for being 'overtly sexual'

According to a BBC report, the picture in question was of England players in a team huddle that was clicked during the 2018 Southampton Test between England and India. The report states that the photo featured Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Jos Buttler, James Anderson and Alastair Cook, who was playing the penultimate Test of his career. There was a picture collection from the photographer which also comprised photos of the Southampton crowd and a snap of England’s slip cordon. It also had wildlife and other categories' photos uploaded.

England-based photographer Mike Hall tried to use the photos as Facebook advertisements but his account was suspended by Facebook from placing ads due to 'overtly sexual' content. The photographer tried to appeal to Facebook's decision several times but the social media site failed to rectify the error until BBC made contact.

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Facebook's advertisement policy bans the promotion of 'adult products and services' and to everyone's surprise, England’s cricketers fell under that category. Facebook subsequently issued an apology to Hall stating that the images were 'restricted in error'. Notably, India went on to lose that series against England 4-1.

Meanwhile, the two cricketing giants are currently competing in a four-match Test series in India. The visitors won the first Test in Chennai by 227 runs and took a 1-0 lead. The second Test of the India vs England 2021 Test series will commence on Friday, February 13 in Chennai. The live streaming of the second Test will begin at 9:30 AM. 

The India vs England 2nd Test will broadcast live on television on Star Sports Network's Star Sports 1 SD & HD and 1 Hindi SD and HD channels. The entire India vs England series will also be available as a live stream on the Disney+ Hotstar app and website. The India vs England live scores and updates can be found on the websites and social media handles of the BCCI and England Cricket.

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England squad for India Tests 2021 (first 2 Tests): Joe Root (Captain), Ben Stokes (Vice-captain), Jos Buttler (Wicket-keeper), Jofra Archer, Moeen Ali, Rory Burns, Zak Crawley, James Anderson, Dom Bess, Olly Stone, Chris Woakes, Stuart Broad, Ben Foakes, Dan Lawrence, Dom Sibley, Jack Leach.

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SOURCE: ENGLAND CRICKET TWITTER