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In a move that seems extremely unusual for cricket, Kent County Cricket Club have switched off the comments sections on their social media pages, claiming they are acting in accordance with their "duty of care" to their players.

The decision comes during a tough period for the county, having been relegated from Division One of the County Championship in 2024. They failed to improve even under former England player, Adam Hollioake, appointed head coach of the club in December 2024. They finished at the bottom of the Division Two table in 2025.

This poor form continued into the new season as Kent sit at the foot of the second tier, having recorded zero wins from their opening three games of the season.

Ahead of the match against Derbyshire, Hollioake was candid about the reasoning behind their recent social media stance:

"This has not been a decision we have taken lightly and we are by no means stopping people voicing their opinions."

He added:

"The majority of our supporters are behind us and criticise us fairly but when this crosses the line, this can be damaging to not only the players but their friends, family and loved ones."

Kent hold a large following online; they have over 104,000 followers X (former Twitter) and over 64,000 on Instagram.

They have yet to disclose a timescale as to when this suspension of comments will be lifted, but it has been confirmed that supporters can still voice their opinions via e-mail and members' forums, the first of which is due to be held at Canterbury on the opening day of the Derbyshire match.

It is fairly commonplace for individual athletes to step away from their social media feeds, particularly in the build up to major tournaments but for an entire club to take this action, however, is a hugely unusal decision.

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Kent said that the move was a short-term step that will enable the players to concentrate better.

"This short-term move aligns with our short-term strategy to allow players and staff to work and play with freedom and clarity. We support each other as a whole club, in line with our core values of unity, respect and responsibility."

Apart from the bad results they are facing, over recent years Kent has also seen many of their key players depart. Ollie Robinson moved to Durham, Jordan Cox transferred to Essex whilst Nathan Gilchrist and Jack Leaning departed for Warwickshire and Sussex respectively.

A major problem for Kent has been their batting; they have already been bowled out for below 250 four times this season in three matches, and after a crushing defeat at the hands of Worcestershire the main area that was pointed to by Hollioake was that of their batting.

Concentration was also an area that was in focus with regards to England's opener, Zak Crawley whose highest score so far this season is just 31; the opening batter's position in England's squad is under threat following the Ashes series.

Speaking about past struggles and mental health, Hollioake referred to two former teammates that had passed away, Graham Thorpe and Robin Smith:

"Throughout my career in cricket as a player and a coach, I've had to deal with a lot, that's no secret. I've seen in recent times two players and friends that I played alongside for England go down a bad path in terms of mental health and I've lost both of them."

He added:

"It's part of my job and my duty of care to make sure we don't see that again."