England fast bowler Ollie Robinson issued an apology after historic messages of a racist and sexist nature posted on his Twitter account emerged on the day of his Test debut.
Robinson took 2-50 on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand, who reached stumps on 246-3 at Lord's.
However, while the Sussex seamer was in action on the field, comments he made in 2012 and 2013 – when he was aged 18 and 19 – emerged on social media.
In a statement published by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) at the close of play, Robinson admitted to being "embarrassed" and "ashamed" at the social media posts.
"On the biggest day of my career so far, I am embarrassed by the racist and sexist tweets that I posted over eight years ago, which have today become public," he said.
"I want to make it clear that I'm not racist and I'm not sexist. I deeply regret my actions, and I am ashamed of making such remarks.
"I was thoughtless and irresponsible, and regardless of my state of mind at the time, my actions were inexcusable. Since that period, I have matured as a person and fully regret the tweets.
"Today should be about my efforts on the field and the pride of making my Test debut for England, but my thoughtless behaviour in the past has tarnished this.
"Over the past few years, I have worked hard to turn my life around. I have considerably matured as an adult.
"The work and education I have gained personally from the PCA (Professional Cricketers' Association), my county Sussex and the England cricket team have helped me to come to terms and gain a deep understanding of being a responsible professional cricketer.
"I would like to unreservedly apologise to anyone I have offended, my team-mates and the game as a whole in what has been a day of action and awareness in combatting discrimination from our sport.
"I don't want something that happened eight years ago to diminish the efforts of my team-mates and the ECB as they continue to build meaningful action with their comprehensive initiatives and efforts, which I fully endorse and support.
"I will continue to educate myself, look for advice and work with the support network that is available to me to learn more about getting better in this area. I am sorry, and I have certainly learned my lesson today."
The discovery of the comments came after England's players wore anti-discrimination T-shirts carrying messages regarding racism, sexism, transphobia, homophobia and ageism ahead of play starting on Wednesday.
ECB chief executive Tom Harrison strongly condemned the posts and confirmed a full investigation will be launched as part of the governing body's disciplinary process.
"I do not have the words to express how disappointed I am that an England men's player has chosen to write tweets of this nature, however long ago that might have been," Harrison said in a statement.
"Any person reading those words, particularly a woman or person of colour, would take away an image of cricket and cricketers that is completely unacceptable. We are better than this.
"We have a zero-tolerance stance to any form of discrimination and there are rules in place that handle conduct of this nature. We will initiate a full investigation as part of our disciplinary process.
"Our England men's team, alongside others from the ECB and our partners across the game, worked together today to create a moment of unity.
"Using today's spotlight to reaffirm our commitment to driving forward an anti-discrimination agenda.
"Our commitment to that effort remains unwavering, and the emergence of these comments from Ollie's past reiterates the need for ongoing education and engagement on this issue."
Robinson dismissed Tom Latham and Ross Taylor but New Zealand debutant Devon Conway scored an unbeaten century to leave the tourists in control.
Sunil Narine won't play for West Indies' T20 World Cup squad, confirms watching from home
Trinidad and Tobago’s Sunil Narine has made it clear that he will not be part of the West Indies squad for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in the Caribbean this June. Narine, who has not represented the West Indies since 2019, reiterated his decision after the Kolkata Knight Riders' emphatic victory over the Lucknow Super Giants at Eden Gardens on Sunday.
Former West Indies cricketer turned commentator Samuel Badree asked Narine about his World Cup plans during a post-match interview, to which Narine responded, "I will be watching from home, Badree."
The 35-year-old Narine's absence from the West Indies setup has been notable since 2019, despite invitations to return to the team. Windies white-ball coach Darren Sammy recently indicated that the squad selection process for the World Cup was nearing completion, highlighting the exposure of over 22 players in preparation for the tournament.
“We’ve selected squads and exposed about 22 players over the last year in preparation for this main event that is coming," Sammy explained during a press briefing. "It’s based on the measures that we’ve taken and the strategic roles we have given players.”
While Narine has been a key player for the Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL since 2012, contributing significantly to the franchise's two title victories in 2012 and 2014, his focus remains on franchise cricket rather than international duties. He has played 51 T20 Internationals for the West Indies, showcasing his talent with 52 wickets at an economy rate of 6.01.
Narine made his debut for the West Indies in March 2012 against Australia and played his last match for the Caribbean side in August 2019 against India. Known for his mystery spin and explosive batting, Narine continues to be a vital asset for the Kolkata Knight Riders, as demonstrated by his recent impactful innings of 85 from 39 balls while opening the batting against the Delhi Capitals.
Despite his absence from international duty, Narine's contributions in franchise cricket underscore his prowess in the T20 format. As the T20 World Cup approaches, West Indies will proceed with a squad that reflects the strategic planning and player exposure outlined by Coach Sammy, with Narine choosing to focus on his IPL commitments while supporting the regional team from the sidelines.
Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack critical of distribution of ICC finances
India’s financial stranglehold on world cricket is the top target in the latest edition of the Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack, as it once again ponders the health of a sport held down by a global postcode lottery.
The 161st edition of the beloved yellow book takes a typically sober look at the state of the game, majoring on the distorting effects of the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s latest grab of the purse strings.
In his 13th year at the helm, Lawrence Booth uses the influential platform of his editor’s notes to rail against last year’s decision to increase India’s share of central ICC funds from an already swollen 25 per cent to a bloated to 38.5 per cent. He brands the latest settlement “all the harder to stomach” when pitted against the money troubles of others like the West Indies, whose own take represents just 4.58 per cent.
Booth concludes that fear of upsetting those behind cricket’s biggest commercial market is poisoning the well that all nations drink from and calls for an urgent rethink.
“This is where cricket finds itself, in dreary thrall to the notion that market forces must be obeyed,” he writes.
“Is it really beyond the wit of the administrators to distribute it (cash) according to need, not greed?”
Wisden is critical of the BCCI’s conduct as hosts of the recent men’s World Cup, deeming the politicisation of the tournament “faintly Orwellian” and an example of “insidious nationalism”. Booth touches on the delay in granting England’s Shoaib Bashir a visa for the new year Test tour, the latest hold up to impact a player of Pakistani heritage, and the fact that a principled boycott by his team-mates never got off the ground.
“The answer to too many questions in cricket is now: because we mustn’t upset India. And don’t the BCCI know it,” he concludes.
On the field, there was a full-throated reprisal of the previous volume’s support for ‘Bazball’ and the revitalising effects of Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum as stewards of the red-ball format.
Reflecting on the thrills and spills of a vintage Ashes summer, Booth decides: “For the first time since English cricket vanished behind a paywall, it felt like the people’s sport.”
The comparison with England’s fading fortunes in the white-ball arena is predictably grisly following the defending champions’ World Cup wipeout. There is an opportunity to right some of those wrongs close at hand, but Wisden’s warning over the stakes for the captain and coach is cold and clear: “(Jos) Buttler and (Matthew) Mott must mount a better defence of this year’s T20 World Cup if they are to keep their jobs.”
Elsewhere, Stuart Broad casts a long shadow. Not only does the retired seamer grace the cover for the second time, he also warrants special mention from Booth at the front of the book and a farewell essay from Jonathan Liew.
There is a joint tribute to two more departing greats of English seam bowling, with Katherine Sciver-Brunt and Anya Shrubsole receiving a send off from former team-mate Ebony Rainford-Brent.
The wider historical context of game is served by pieces on England’s 100th women’s Test, the first nation to reach the milestone, and a look back on 250 years of the lbw law, and there are entries from both ends of spectrum of seriousness.
Michael Collins, one of the co-authors of the Independent Commission for Equity in Cricket report, contributes a thoughtful and scholarly update covering the thorniest matters of discrimination. In it he reiterates many of the most difficult findings – chiefly the lingering presence of ingrained racism, classism and sexism within the sport at large – but strikes an optimistic tone about the chances of renewal.
“History need not make us prisoners of the past,” he writes.
“Recognising and understanding the weight of what has gone before is also a route to creating a new and different future.”
At the opposite pole is a healthy slice of playfulness, from Emma John’s appraisal of Wisden’s history on Desert Island Discs to the pleasingly irreverent social media review of the year and the enduring ‘index of unusual occurrences’.
:: The Wisden Cricketers’ Almanack 2024 is published by Bloomsbury on April 18.
Eight centuries, six five-wicket hauls recorded in round six of West Indies Championship
Big scores and wickets were the name of the game as both batsmen and bowlers thrived in round six of the 2024 West Indies Championship.
Across the four matches played from April 10-13 last week, eight centuries were scored and six five-wicket hauls were recorded.
The biggest knock came during the game between the Trinidad & Tobago Red Force and Combined Campuses & Colleges at the Sir Frank Worrell Memorial Ground where Amir Jangoo belted the CCC bowling all over the place on the way to a wonderful 218.
His knock, his first century in first-class cricket, came off 238 balls and included 15 fours and 10 sixes.
In that very same innings, 37-year-old Jason Mohammed recorded his 13th hundred in first-class cricket with 157 off 228 balls including 22 fours.
The game between the Barbados Pride and the Leeward Islands Hurricanes at the Queen’s Park Oval saw the teams combine for four centuries between them.
West Indies Test Captain Kraigg Brathwaite scored the biggest of the match with a marathon 400-ball 189 including 17 fours.
His opening partner Zachary McCaskie, who was a member of the most recent West Indies Test squad on their tour to Australia, hit 12 fours and two sixes on the way to 101 off 148 balls and shared in a 171-run first wicket partnership with his skipper in the first innings.
All-rounder Roston Chase was the third Bajan centurion of the game with an attacking 87-ball 127 including nine fours and seven sixes.
West Indies ODI team member Keacy Carty got the Hurricanes’ lone century in the game with 127 off 233 balls including 12 fours. Carty now has three first-class centuries to his name.
Kemol Savory and Captain Tevin Imlach both brought up centuries for the Guyana Harpy Eagles against the Jamaica Scorpions at Sabina Park.
Savory made a career best 155 off 309 balls including 16 fours and three sixes while Imlach made 101* off 169 balls including 11 fours and two sixes.
In the bowling department, Roston Chase took 7-67 in the second innings for the Pride against the Hurricanes.
Pacer Gilon Tyson grabbed 5-50 for the Windward Islands Hurricanes in the first innings against the West Indies Academy.
Veerasammy Permaul spun a web against the Scorpions on his way to 5-55 in the first innings.
Pacers Anderson Phillip and Amari Goodridge picked up 5-71 and 5-92 for the Red Force and the CCC, respectively, while Rakheem Cornwall took 5-132 against the Pride.
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