Kent Cricket Club disables social media comments to protect players' mental health

Kent County Cricket Club, which plays in the second tier of England's County Championship, has decided to suspend comments on its official social media channels. The move comes as the team endures a disappointing start to the season, sitting bottom of the table after three matches.

Head coach Adam Hollioake, a former England international, acknowledged the side's form was "not quite up to the standards we expect." However, he argued that harsh comments from fans on social media could harm players' mental health.

"Throughout my career in cricket as a player and coach, I have faced many things – that's no secret," Hollioake said. "Recently, I have seen two former England teammates go down a bad path with mental health, and I have lost both of them."

Hollioake, whose younger brother Ben – a former England all-rounder – died in a car crash in 2002, said he had a "duty of care" to protect Kent's players from similar harm. He was close friends with Graham Thorpe, a former Surrey and England colleague who took his own life in 2024, and Robin Smith, the former England batsman who battled alcoholism before his death late last year.

Speaking in a statement ahead of Friday's match against Derbyshire in Canterbury, Hollioake stressed: "As a professional cricket department, along with the communications team, we have agreed to pause comments on the official Kent Cricket social media channels for the time being. This has not been an easy decision, and we are not stopping people from expressing their opinions, but in line with a short-term strategy to allow players and staff to think and perform with freedom and clarity, we feel it is necessary."