Swann apologises for 'a**raped' comments following social media outrage

England spin bowler Graeme Swann has offered an apology on Twitter for his 'crass and offensive' comment comparing the third Ashes Test loss to Australia to being 'a**raped', which prompted outrage on the social media and from rape charities.

Swann had posted the comment on Facebook in response to his brother, who said he had enjoyed a night out seeing a band in Northampton, in which the player stated that he would 'rather' have been in Northampton than being 'a**raped' in Perth, referring to England's defeat that handed Australia an unbeatable 3-0 lead in the Ashes series.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, following widespread condemnation of his statement, Swann apologised in his Twitter account and said that he is sorry to anyone who was offended by his comments, which he labelled as 'crass and thoughtless'.

The comments of Swann, who has been under pressure in the Ashes series, taking only seven wickets at 80.00 in three heavy defeats to Australia, came a day after Australian fast bowler Ryan Harris came under fire for sending a profanity-laden tweet when he was denied entry to a Perth casino during the team's celebrations, the report added.