England pacer Ollie Robinson eligible to play despite eight-match ban
England pacer Ollie Robinson is eligible to resume professional cricket following an investigation into his controversial tweets. A three-member Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC) has handed him an eight-match suspension with five of those suspended for two years. The ECB had suspended him during the New Zealand series after his old tweets, deemed "racist" and "sexist" in nature resurfaced. Robinson has also been fined £3,200.
As per the punishment, the remaining three matches are the subject of immediate suspension. However, the panel has taken into consideration Robinson's suspension from the second Test against New Zealand, as well as two T20 Blast fixtures, which he missed.
Robinson had previously admitted to breaching ECB Directives 3.3 and 3.4 relating to a number of offensive tweets which were posted between 2012 and 2014, when he was aged between 18 and 20. Screenshots of those tweets resurfaced on social media on June 2. Notably, Robinson made his Test debut on the same day. He had even issued an apology for the same.
Robinson was suspended from international cricket after the opening Test against New Zealand. He missed the second Test but was available to play for Sussex. He did not face any disciplinary action from his county. Soon after, Robinson announced that will be taking a "short break from the game". As a result, he opted out of two T20 Blast fixtures.
"I am incredibly embarrassed and ashamed about the tweets I posted many years ago and apologize unreservedly for their contents," Robinson said on the decision. "I am deeply sorry for the hurt I caused to anyone who read those tweets and in particular to those people to whom the messages caused offence. This has been the most difficult time in my professional career."
Besides handing punishment, the Cricket Discipline Commission has also recommended that Robinson participates in all training programmes "in both the use of social media and in respect of anti-discrimination as directed by the Professional Cricketers' Association (PCA) over the next two years". This also includes undertaking any training himself which is deemed appropriate for these purposes.
