'Sir' is a sign of admiration: Eoin Morgan insists historic tweets 'taken out of context'

The English cricket system was shaken earlier this month after pacer Ollie Robinson was suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for his racist and sexist tweets dating back to 2012-13.

Dismissing accusations of racism against him, England's World Cup-winning captain Eoin Morgan said the historical tweets, allegedly mocking Indians, were "taken out of context".

England's Eoin Morgan(REUTERS)

The English cricket system was shaken earlier this month after pacer Ollie Robinson was suspended by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for his racist and sexist tweets dating back to 2012-13.

Soon after, posts, in which Morgan and wicketkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler used the word 'sir' to mock the Indians, started doing the rounds on social media.

"I don't really reflect on it a lot," Morgan told reporters ahead of England's white-ball series against Sri Lanka in Cardiff on Wednesday.

"If I call somebody 'sir' on social media, or anywhere around the world, it's a sign of admiration and respect.

"If that's taken out of context there's nothing I can control or do about it. So I haven't actually looked into it," he added.

In light of the events, the ECB had promised "relevant and appropriate action", saying each case will be considered on an individual basis.

Screenshots of a message by Buttler in which he says "I always reply sir no1 else like me like you like me" had been shared on Twitter.

In another post which was also circulating on social media, Morgan includes Buttler in a message which says, "Sir you're my favourite batsman." They were allegedly joined by KKR head coach Brendon McCullum in this conversation.

Buttler and Morgan both feature in the Indian Premier League (IPL) with the former playing for the Rajasthan Royals and the latter leading the Kolkata Knight Riders.