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'Malicious and hurtful': Darren Lehmann heartbroken over 'vile' attack

Sam Goodwin
·Sports Editor

Brisbane Heat coach Darren Lehmann has quit social media after he was the victim of a ‘vile and horrendous’ account hack.

The former coach of the Australian national team was at Spotless Stadium watching his side take on Sydney Thunder on Monday night when his Twitter account was hacked.

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His account posted a number of messages in support of Donald Trump and against the Iranian regime.

“I fully support @realDonaldTrump. F*** Iran. Rest in p*** qassem soleimani” the messages read, while Lehmann’s account had its name changed to “F*** Iran”.

Darren Lehmann, pictured here resigning as Australia's national cricket coach in 2018.
Darren Lehmann resigned as Australia's national cricket coach in 2018. (Photo by Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

Lehmann was heartbroken by the attack on Tuesday, saying he would be taking some time away from social media after the “awful experience.”

“Someone hacked my accounts and used it to spread some malicious and hurtful statements,” Lehmann posted on Tuesday after having his account rectified.

“The words and sentiments used were definitely ones that I do not endorse or promote.

“To see such vile and horrendous opinions used in my name has caused great upset to me and my family.

“I’ve decided to have a break from social media for the foreseeable future. I appreciate your understanding and apologies to anyone who was unnecessary hurt or offended.”

The Brisbane Heat responded to fans notifying them of the situation on Monday night.

“We are aware our coach Darren Lehmann’s Twitter account has been hacked and are working closely with Twitter to rectify the situation. We apologise for any offence caused this evening,” the official Heat account tweeted.

Latest hacking of Aussie cricketer

Lehmann is the second high-profile Aussie cricketer to have their account hacked in recent times after Shane Watson also fell victim late last year.

Watson apologised to his social media followers in October after inadvertently posting a number of X-Rated photos.

His bio was changed to “JOIN SHADOW REALM, LINK IN BIO! FOR FREE NUDES”, while his Twitter account was flooded with fat-shaming posts and derogatory slurs aimed at Indigenous Australians.

Watson, who played 59 Tests and 190 one-day internationals for Australia, managed to remove the content and later apologised to his 1.3 million followers.

Shane Watson, pictured here in action for Sydney Thunder in the Big Bash.
One of the pics that was posted to Shane Watson's Instagram account. Image: Getty/Instagram

“Unfortunately I’ve had to deal with another one of my social media accounts getting hacked,” Watson said.

“I really apologise for the images that were posted on my Instagram account. They’re disgraceful images and videos.

“Some people have just got way too much time on their hands to go and try and disrupt someone’s day.

“But I really apologise. It’s been another lesson learnt, to ensure all my social media is as watertight as it possibly can be from a safety point of view.

“Hopefully no one can get in to any more of my accounts.”