Ireland cricketer John Mooney suspended for three matches after Margaret Thatcher Twitter comment Mooney, who scored the winning runs in Ireland's historic win over England at the 2011 Cricket World Cup, apologised for his comments hours after deleting the offending post, saying he accepted they "were offensive to many." Deutrom welcomed his apology in today's statement but insisted Mooney, who made his first-class debut for Ireland in 2004, could not be excused from punishment. John accepted that the tweet was offensive and inappropriate. We took into consideration the fact that he issued a fulsome and swift apology and that he is genuinely remorseful for his action," said Deutrom. However, given the breach of his contract and nature of the tweet, we felt it appropriate that a three-match sanction be imposed. We have also severely reprimanded John and reminded him of his duties and responsibilities as a high-profile international cricketer. The suspension rules Mooney out of the first one-day international against Pakistan in Clontarf next month, and Leinster Lightning's games against Northern Knights on May 6 and North West Warriors on May 14.