‘It's not acceptable’ – Joe Root on Ollie Robinson’s controversial historic tweets

Joe Root, the England Test skipper, didn’t mince any words in saying that Ollie Robinson’s controversial tweets were “not acceptable” going by the ethical standards of cricket in the country. Back in 2012 and 2013, the 27-year-old Robinson had dropped tweets, slamming the Muslim community and the people of Asian ethnicity.

On Wednesday, Robinson issued an apology for his misdeeds and said that he’s neither racist nor sexist. However, the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) suspended him from all forms of international cricket. Robinson played the Lord’s Test against New Zealand, but won’t be a part of the Edgbaston Test, starting Thursday.

When the tweets came to the fore, the ECB also promised a thorough investigation. The all-rounder will now be returning to his county, Sussex. Root lauded him for his on-field performances at the Home of Cricket in the drawn Test. But he also cleared his stand on Robinson’s prior actions on Twitter.

I couldn’t believe them personally: Joe Root

“He’s contributed well with the bat, his performance with the ball was excellent. He’s showed high levels of skill and he’s definitely got the game that can be successful in Test cricket,” Root was quoted as saying in the post-match press conference.

“But in regards to the stuff that’s happened off the field, it’s not acceptable within our game. We all know that. He addressed the dressing room straight away. He obviously spoke to you guys and other media outlets straight away, fronted up to it. He showed a lot of remorse from that point onwards. You can see it’s very genuine from how he’s been around the group and the team,” he stated.

“I couldn’t believe them [the tweets], personally. I didn’t really know how to take it on the surface. I think the most important thing is Ollie is part of this dressing room and we had to support him,” Root added.

Root was also of the opinion that educating each other and trying to better the environment for others should be paramount.

Robinson had a memorable debut as far as his cricketing prowess is concerned. In the first innings, he picked up four wickets followed by three in the second. He also scored 42 runs in England’s first innings.