CA apologise for 'inappropriate' tweet

Cricket Australia has apologised for a rogue, ribald tweet in reaction to Ian Bell's survival of an appeal for a catch by Steve Smith on day three of the Lord's Test.

Bell was on 3 when he sliced Ryan Harris low to Smith in the gully. Smith appeared to take a clean catch but Bell stood his ground. The umpires conferred and after the third umpire, Tony Hill, viewed video evidence the batsman was spared.

Australia's players were surprised at the decision, with Smith visibly unhappy that his word had not been accepted. Amid widespread condemnation of Hill's call, the official CA Twitter account gave vent to Australian frustrations with the words "That decision sucked ass #bulls***".

The tweet was soon deleted, and a subsequent apology suggested the words had not been typed from Lord's: "Apologies for the inappropriate tweet earlier regarding the Bell catch. It didn't emanate from CA's official Twitter presence at Lord's. CA is currently investigating the matter."

The official CA Twitter account is accessible to numerous staff members within CA, used as it is for a wide variety of announcements, updates and links.