England pacer Ollie Robinson has admitted that he feared his England career may be over after being suspended for his offensive old racist tweets several years ago after he claimed his maiden five-for while restricting India to 278-all out in the ongoing first Test at Trent Bridge.
Robinson was banned for eight matches by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) for his controversial racist and sexist tweets almost eight years ago as an 18-year-old after they emerged on the opening day of his Test debut against New Zealand at Lord’s in June.
However, after his apology and serving the ban, the seamer earned a recall for the first Test against India and he made the most of the opportunity by grabbing five wickets in the first innings at Trent Bridge.
After the end of third day's play, the 27-year-old admitted that he feared his England career was over following the controversy while describing the little suspension period as the “toughest” phase of his life. The pacer also said that he has grown as a person over time since the racism controversy.
Robinson said at the virtual press conference, “There was a time when I was speaking with my lawyers and we were looking at the fact I could be banned for a couple of years and never play for England again. In a couple of years, I would have been 30 and someone else could have come in and taken my spot. So there was definitely a time when I had doubts over my career, but luckily, it all came good today.”
He added, “Probably the toughest few weeks I’ve had in cricket, to be honest, or in my life actually. It affected not only myself but my family too. I’ve learned a lot now and I’m looking to move forward.”
Meanwhile, the pacer has insisted that he’s now a “different man” from a “young, naive guy” who wrote the stuff. He said, “I was a young 18-year-old naive guy and I made a lot of mistakes, not just those tweets. I have grown as a person a lot in that time. I have learned a lot and tried to develop myself as a person in the last 10 years. I am a father now as well and I have just tried to make myself the best person I can be and I hope people will be able to see that.”
Robinson gave credit to his team for backing him fully during the difficult times after his stunning bowling against India at Trent Bridge. He added, “Everyone in England was very good. They did put their arm around me and helped me through a tough situation.”
On giving Ravindra Jadeja a send-off by raising his finger to his lips and his banter with KL Rahul, the bowler revealed: “It was all friendly banter; we were just trying to get them out of their bubble and play a few shots. They were pretty defensive and I wanted KL Rahul to play some shots. It was all good fun out there.”
He signed off by saying, “But it was important for me to show everyone that I am the real deal on the field and try to get the scrutiny off me. It was a proud moment for myself and my family — a moment I’ll cherish for a long time.”
(With PTI Inputs)
