Marlon Samuels criticised for foul-mouthed tirade against Ben Stokes

Marlon Samuels, the West Indies cricketer, is facing criticism over a foul-mouthed tirade against Ben Stokes in which he made discriminatory remarks about the all-rounder and his wife.

The 38-year-old also referred to his "superior skin tone" in social media outburst prompted by a joke Stokes had made about the Jamaican being his "worst enemy".

"No white boy can diss me in the sports and no(sic) get diss back," Samuels wrote, before branding Stokes a "b----". He then went on to make a disparaging remark relating to Stoke's wife, Clare.

The England and Wales Cricket Board declined to respond to the comments, but Michael Vaughan, the team's former captain, said the outburst was "appalling".

"We are trying to stamp out racism," Vaughan tweeted, claiming Stokes' previous comments were "banter".

Samuels was enraged after Stokes told the Test Match Special podcast he would not wish quarantine life on his "worst enemy", before then citing Samuels. "Some of the England boys were messaging me asking what it’s like and I was saying it wasn’t the most enjoyable thing you ever have to do... I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy," Stokes had said.

"I text my brother saying the same thing, and my brother asked, 'you wouldn’t even do that to Marlon Samuels?' I said 'no, it’s that bad' – that’s how tough it was."

The feud between the pair stretches back more than five years. Samuels famously saluted Stokes after the England star was dismissed during a Test match. The pair clashed again at the T20 World Cup final in 2016. Stokes, writing in his book, Firestarter, later said that Samuels "lacked respect".

Stokes' recent joke about Samuels came after the all-rounder was holed up in hotel rooms in Auckland and Dubai in recent months as part of the terms of travelling during the Covid-19 pandemic. He spent 14 days in isolation upon returning to New Zealand in August to be with his father Ged, who is battling brain cancer.

Stokes was then forced to quarantine for six days upon arriving in the United Arab Emirates prior to turning out for Rajasthan Royals in the Indian Premier League.