Cricketer Ollie Robinson has landed in a big controversy on the day he made his test debut against New Zealand. His controversial racial and sexist posts have come to haunt him even as cricket fans and former cricketers have slammed him for the abusive comments and the ECB for failing to do a background check before roping him into the team.
So, what exactly he said?
From the posts that are doing rounds on social media sites, Ollie Robinson has made anti-Muslim, anti-Asian and sexist remarks against women. Going by the screen shots, the cricketer tweeted those unwarranted comments in 2012 and 2013. Although he made those comments as a teenager, people are unwillingly to take this issue lightly considering the nature of the comments. His controversial tweets can be read below:
Cricket world follows zero-tolerance approach for racial abuses. As a result, not only the cricketer, but the ECB has come under the attack.
Michael Vaughan and Nasser Hussain's Reaction
Former England captain Michael Vaughan has attacked the England cricket board for not doing its due diligence before selecting him to the England squad.
"A few weeks ago, surely England would have known that Ollie Robinson was in their thoughts. You have to go through everything. These days on Twitter, social media it's all there for everyone to see. You can't suddenly - why didn't they delete it- that's irrelevant. He tweeted what he had tweeted in 2012. Yes, he was 18 but i do find that staggering that the ECB with everything, the resources that they have in their operation, they don't go through everything about every player that you pick just to make sure you have got everything covered," the cricketer told the BBC.
Another former England captain Nasser Hussain said, "There is no room for racism, there is no room for online hate; it has ruined his biggest day as a professional cricketer."
New Zealand kicked-off the two-test match series against England on Wednesday, 2 June. The visitors won the toss and elected to bat first at the Lord's cricket ground. By the end of the day, the Kiwis had put 246 runs on board for the loss of three wickets.
Ollie Robinson's Apology
The cricketer has lent an apology for his past remarks. In a statement, the 27-year old said that he was embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that he made in 2012. Ollie Robinson claimed that he was not a racist or sexist.
"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."
Full Press Release Can be Read Below:
