Australia all-rounder James Faulkner sparked speculation he was gay following posts on social media – before it was later reported his posts had been “misinterpreted”.

The 29-year-old appeared to suggest he was in a same-sex relationship when he shared a picture on Instagram and Twitter of himself alongside his mother and a man he described as his “boyfriend”.

The photo was captioned: “Birthday dinner with the boyfriend @robjubbsta and my mother @roslyn_carol_faulkner #togetherfor5years.”

The Instagram description was later edited to include “best mate!!!”.

According to several Australian media outlets, Cricket Australia said the post had been misinterpreted and that Mr Jubb was in fact Faulkner’s business partner.

Faulkner, man of the match in the 2015 One-Day World Cup final when Australia beat New Zealand, has played 67 one-day internationals for Australia after making his debut against the West Indies in 2013.

The Tasmanian’s post had received praise from Australia internationals past and present.

Glenn Maxwell replied to it saying “great courage”, while Shaun Tait said: “Great courage mate, bet u feel better.”

Brett Lee said: “Good on ya mate. Have a lovely birthday.”

Faulkner will play for Lancashire in the Vitality Blast this summer and made his only Test appearance for Australia against England in the 2013 Ashes series, playing in the fifth test at the Oval, which ended in a draw.

Somerset’s Steven Davies became the first professional cricketer to come out as gay when he did so in a newspaper interview in 2011.