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Ollie Robinson on tweet controversy: I thought my career was over

Written by Vipin Darwade

England seamer Ollie Robinson made a spectacular Test debut against New Zealand in June, but it followed by a controversy after his racist and sexist tweets dating almost a decade back were discovered, earning him an eight-match ban, three of which had already been served.

“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,” Robinson said at the end of the day’s play.

“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,” added Robinson, who bagged his maiden five-wicket haul in his comeback Test against India.

After his apology, the Sussex seamer earned a recall at Trent Bridge and he confessed that he feared his England career was all but over.

Terming the phase as the toughest of his life, he said: “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.”

He said he’s a ‘different man’ now from the person who wrote those as a ‘young, naive guy’.

“I was a young 18-year-old naive guy and I made a lot of mistakes, not just those tweets,” he said.

“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,” said the bowler.

About the author

Vipin Darwade