At the conclusion of the first Test between England and New Zealand, it wasn’t the match result that many were talking about-rather it was an off-field incident that was the talk of the Lord’s famed long room and the cricket fraternity in general.
England cricketer Ollie Robinson was suspended from all international cricket after old tweets where he made racist, sexist, and ableist jokes resurfaced. The tweets resurfaced shortly after he made his England debut on June 2.
Robinson’s tale is symptomatic of a wider polarisation in British society over matters of race, identity, and culture.
The England cricket team which thought the worst was over after the Ollie Robinson row is seemingly looking to face more difficult times ahead. Days after England pacer Ollie Robinson was suspended over his racist and sexist remarks, three more England players including skipper Eoin Morgan have courted controversy over their problematic tweets.
ECB’s stand on Ollie Robinson
The decision to suspend Robinson attracted criticism from the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport, Oliver Dowden, who labeled it “over the top”, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson stating he is “supportive” of Dowden’s opinion.
However, in the defense of the England and Wales cricket board(ECB), their current method – a suspension while deciding on the next steps – appears pretty reasonable. It’s standard procedure in such cases, too. It gives them the time to talk to Robinson and look into the context of the tweets without the distraction of a Test in which he is involved. It also allows some time for reflection and planning both Robinson’s punishment – for want of a better word – and the road to rehabilitation. It’s the opposite of a kneejerk reaction.
It remains unclear as to who circulated these screenshots on social media on Wednesday afternoon. Robinson’s Twitter handle is currently suspended. It’s possible that someone had saved these old tweets and began circulating them on the day he made his debut.
It is expected the player will also undergo anti-racism and unconscious bias training.
🗣 "I was a young man once, I did a lot of rubbish as a youngster. As you go through life you learn."
🗣 "Yes suspend him because you want to investigate… but do it quickly."
Michael Holding has his say on the Ollie Robinson controversy. pic.twitter.com/kuYF0GElst
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) June 8, 2021
Ollie Robinson: The case-study
Robinson’s England captain Joe Root said the tweets were not acceptable and that the incident is a lesson for everyone in cricket. Whereas former England captain Michael Vaughan questioned ECB’s sanity of timing as to why the whole episode surfaced in-between a test match and why the ECB could not do due diligence before Robinson’s selection for the first Test against New Zealand.
Robinson’s England captain Joe Root said the tweets were not acceptable and that the incident is a lesson for everyone in cricket. Whereas former England captain Michael Vaughan questioned ECB’s sanity of timing as to why the whole episode surfaced in-between a test match and why the ECB could not do due diligence before Robinson’s selection for the first Test against New Zealand.
The irony of the situation is, all the tweets resurfaced on the internet just hours after Robinson made his Test debut at the iconic Lord’s cricket ground. Since then, he has served an unconditional apology for his tweets and conceded that he was left “embarrassed” that they had resurfaced on the day he made his Test debut.
The fact is, Robinson was 18 or 19 and these tweets were sent a long time ago. We know he left school without meaningful qualifications and had a period where he struggled for maturity and equilibrium. Real change comes from engagement and enlightenment, while punishment may just create more animosity. Yet, it’s fair to say- the time is ripe to nip in the bud.
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