ECB Suspends Pacer Ollie Robinson Over Old Racist, Sexist Tweets

Ollie Robinson, who made his Test debut last week, has been suspended from all international cricket by ECB.

Ollie Robinson celebrates the wicket of New Zealand’s Colin de Grandhomme during a Test match between England and New Zealand at Lord’s cricket ground in London, Thursday, June 3, 2021.

(Photo: PTI)

England pace bowler Ollie Robinson, whose Test debut last week was marked by controversy over his eight-year-old racist and sexist tweets, was suspended from all international cricket by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

"England and Sussex bowler Ollie Robinson has been suspended from all international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following historic tweets he posted in 2012 and 2013," said a statement from ECB.

"He will not be available for selection for the LV= Insurance second Test against New Zealand starting at Edgbaston on Thursday 10 June. Robinson will leave the England camp immediately and return to his county," added the statement.

The 27-year-old Robinson, who plays for Sussex, took seven wickets against New Zealand at Lord's in the first Test that ended in a draw on Sunday. Robinson also scored 42.

England skipper Joe Root said after the match, "From a performance point of view, on the field, he has had an exceptional debut. With regards to the stuff that has happened off the field, it is not acceptable within our game -- we all know that.

Root added, "He has dealt with a huge array of emotions over this last week and he has got to learn some hard lessons."

Robinson had last week apologised for his tweets between 2012 and 2014 that led to controversy.

“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,” he 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," added the right-arm bowler Robinson in the statement.