Ollie Robinson to MISS second Test against New Zealand as ECB announces England star will be suspended from ALL international cricket pending the outcome of investigation into historic racist and sexist tweets… as Joe Root labels behaviour ‘unacceptable’
- Ollie Robinson will miss the second Test against New Zealand, the ECB confirms
- The 27-year-old was left ashamed after unearthing of historic offensive tweets
- The bowler has been suspended amid an ECB investigation into the matter
- Captain Joe Root said that the racist and sexist tweets were ‘unacceptable’
England have suspended fast bowler Ollie Robinson from all international cricket for posting racist and sexist tweets nearly a decade ago, with captain Joe Root describing his debutant fast bowler’s behaviour as ‘unacceptable’.
Robinson will miss Thursday’s second Test against New Zealand at Edgbaston, with the potential for further punishment as the ECB’s integrity department try to establish whether he had any form of county contract when he posted the messages on social media in 2012 and 2013.
If he did, his case will be heard by the independent Cricket Discipline Commission. If not, the ECB will take charge. Either way, he can still play for Sussex, with whom he has a separate employment contract.
Ollie Robinson will miss the second Test against New Zealand, the ECB has confirmed
The 27-year-old was left ashamed after unearthing of historic racist and sexist tweets
The news came less than two hours after a drawn first Test at Lord’s, with Root admitting he ‘couldn’t believe it’ when he was told on Wednesday night about the tweets.
‘Ollie’s learned a hard lesson,’ said the England captain. It’s unacceptable what he’s done. He’s fronted up to the dressing-room and the world, and shown remorse, but we’ve got to keep looking to learn and educate as much as we can, and make the game as diverse as possible. We’re not saying the team is perfect, but we’re always trying to improve.’
Asked what his reaction was when he was told about the tweets after the first day’s play, Root replied: ‘I couldn’t believe them, personally. I didn’t really know how to take it.
The ECB has suspended Robinson from all international cricket while the body investigates
Robinson’s nine-year-old tweets served to completely undermine England’s ‘moment of unity’
‘But I think the most important thing is that Ollie’s part of the dressing-room and we had to support him. We had to try and do everything we could to give him an opportunity to learn and to understand that he has to do better.’
Meanwhile, Root defended his team’s approach after his opposite number Kane Williamson boldly set them 273 in 75 to take a 1-0 lead to Thursday’s second Test at Edgbaston. With opener Dom Sibley making an unbeaten 60 from 207 balls, England reached 170 for three before hands were shaken.
‘It was a tricky wicket with a bit of up-and-down bounce, and we didn’t have the time we needed to go after that target,’ said Root. ‘It was the conditions, because we have the talent in the dressing-room to get the runs.
Joe Root labelled the tweets ‘unacceptable’ and he said he ‘couldn’t believe it’ on Wednesday
‘On the surface, it looked like quite a generous declaration, but having played on that wicket for the best part for days, we knew it wasn’t going to be straightforward.’
Root said England eventually settled for a show of discipline after a first-innings performance in which ‘there were a lot of dismissals that weren’t good enough for Test cricket’.
Asked about England’s approach, Williamson was diplomatic. ‘I suppose they were trying to get a feel for the surface,’ he said. ‘If it wasn’t for that lost day, we would have seen a fantastic finish to what was a very good game of cricket.’