Highlight
Root, the England Test captain, said the team must “deal with issues” in the aftermath of the controversy.
Historical tweets from players potentially offensive to certain groups have been unearthed.
Ollie Robinson was previously suspended by the ECB for his old tweets.
England’s Test captain, Joe Root, said Wednesday that the team has to “look in the mirror” in order to make cricket a welcoming sport. Ollie Robinson, who was suspended this week after making offensive remarks in the past, was on Joe Root’s mind.
Having discovered offensive historical tweets that threaten to overshadow their on-field commitment to making cricket an inclusive game, England captain Joe Root has said his team must “face up to things.” When England takes on New Zealand in the second Test match at Edgbaston on Thursday, the English team will again wear T-shirts with anti-discrimination slogans printed on them. Root’s team sent a message ahead of the drawn first Test at Lord’s last week by putting on blacktops that said “Cricket is for everyone” before the match began.
They also came together with their opponents in a show of unity, but that moment was completely overshadowed by older racist and sexist tweets that England debutant Ollie Robinson posted several years earlier.
The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has issued a temporary suspension of the seamer pending an investigation and now intends to follow up on other members of the squad to verify if potentially offensive material was posted.
Root added that England plans to again call for anti-discrimination efforts to be done away within cricket.
He confirmed it in a press conference Wednesday: “Yes, we will.” We have agreed to do something that has a positive impact on our sport.” A lot has happened, but that doesn’t mean the situation has changed. “We must confront the facts.”
Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Monday agreed with his sports and culture secretary, who had commented that the ECB had taken things “way too far” in suspending Robbie, who was 27 at the time.
Root added, “For everyone, this has been an uncomfortable week.”
We’re committed to working to improve our sport, no matter how hard it is.” We want to improve the community. We, as a community, have had to confront the reality that uncomfortable things have emerged over the past week, and we have to acknowledge and accept that.
It is important for us as a team to keep talking about it, but as professionals, we understand that we have a responsibility this week.
