A historical post sent while the player was 16 has been uncovered, in the wake of the suspension of Ollie Robinson
Ollie Robinson the cricketer deserves credit
A second England player is under investigation for a historical racist tweet, the ECB have confirmed.
Wisden.com have uncovered the post sent when the individual was aged 16, though their identity has not been disclosed.
It comes in the wake of the suspension of Ollie Robinson for racist and sexist tweets sent in 2012 and 2013.
An ECB spokesperson said: "It has been brought to our attention that an England player has posted historic offensive material on their social media account. We are looking into it and will make further comment in due course."
Ollie Robinson’s tweets were offensive and wrong.
— Oliver Dowden (@OliverDowden) June 7, 2021
They are also a decade old and written by a teenager. The teenager is now a man and has rightly apologised. The ECB has gone over the top by suspending him and should think again.
Offence and derogatory messages sent by Robinson were uncovered on the day of his international debut; the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's.
It also coincided with players wearing anti-discriminatory t-shirts before the start of play during a 'moment of unity' to draw attention to all forms of prejudice.
He made a full apology for his actions, which took place while he was aged 18 and 19 during which time he was representing Leicestershire, Kent and Yorkshire second XIs.
Despite finishing with match figures of 7 for 101 and scoring 42 with the bat, the 27-year-old will play no part in the second Test with the Kiwis at Edgbaston as the ECB conclude their inquiries.
England coach Chris Silverwood said the episode was a stark reminder that education on such issues must be an ongoing process.
"What should have been one of the greatest days of Ollie's career didn't end up well for him," he said. "It was disappointing for the group. It was a stark reminder for us all of the responsibilities that we hold in the position that we are in.
Ollie Robinson suspended and ruled out of second Test against New Zealand after racist and sexist tweets
"There is absolutely no place in this game for any form of discrimination whatsoever. He showed a lot of remorse, he apologised publicly, he apologised to the dressing room. I think it's been a really big learning for him.
"The big thing for us all is education. We are all striving to be better, none of us are perfect, and we all need to make sure we are learning all the time. We can make sure the world is a better place."
The ECB are braced for further scrutiny of their anti-discrimination stance should Craig Overton be recalled this week.
The Somerset seamer was found guilty in 2015 after being alleged to have told Sussex's Pakistan-born batter Ashar Zaidi to "go back to your own f*****g country" during an LV=Insurance County Championship match.
But the Cricket Discipline Commission decided on a level one punishment for "abusive language", instead of a level three breach relating to "national or ethnic origin". Standing umpire Alex Wharf and non-striker Michael Yardy had both supported the allegation.
Overton was eventually banned for two matches, but only due to having two previous offences on his record.
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