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It’s been quite an eventful month so far for England pacer Ollie Robinson. While he made his Test debut at the home of cricket in Lord’s and produced a stellar performance, his joy was rather short-lived as some of his old tweets were pulled out and started doing the rounds on the internet. Due to the “sexist” and “racist” nature of those tweets, which he made as a teenager, the 27-year-old Robinson was shamed and although he issued an unconditional apology, he has been suspended from international cricket and the matter will be investigated.
And now Robinson has opted to take a short break from cricket. The right-arm pacer will thus not be part of the Sussex Sharks squad for the team’s opening two Vitality Blast fixtures against Gloucestershire and Hampshire. The decision perhaps has been taken since it has been a difficult time for the pacer.
Embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that I posted over eight years ago: Robinson
"On the biggest day of my career so far, I am embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that I posted over eight years ago, which have today become public. I want to make it clear that I’m not racist and I’m not sexist," Robinson had said in a statement.
"I deeply regret my actions, and I am ashamed of making such remarks. I was thoughtless and irresponsible, and regardless of my state of mind at the time, my actions were inexcusable. Since that period, I have matured as a person and fully regret the tweets," he had added.
However, he also mentioned that he does not want his old tweets to affect and tarnish the efforts and image of his England teammates and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).
Following this episode, a number of cricketers’ old tweets have emerged including Jos Buttler, Eoin Morgan, Brendon McCullum and James Anderson. However, the ECB has said that it will make an official statement only after a thorough investigation.