England cricket decision to suspend Ollie Robinson was 'spot on', says former bowler Monty Panesar
ITV News Correspondent Sangita Lal explains what the suspension is all about
Ex-England cricketer Monty Panesar has told ITV News he agrees with the suspension of England bowler Ollie Robinson over sexist and racist tweets he wrote in the past.
Speaking to ITV News, Panesar said the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) made "the right decision here".
The ECB said Robinson, who impressed with ball and bat during his debut test against New Zealand, had been suspended from all international cricket pending the outcome of am investigation into the historic tweets he posted in 2012 and 2013.
Former England cricketer Monty Panesar tells ITV News the ECB 'took the right decision' in suspending Ollie Robinson
In an interview with Presenter Lucrezia Millarini, Panesar said: "Their message for cricket is you know, 'cricket is for everyone' and they want to bring in wider audiences to the game this summer.
"It's absolutely vital that they do not lose the trust of the public.
"This was spot on by the ECB, you know, they had to take a harsh decision on Ollie Robinson.
"The real issue is should teenagers put out these kind of racial discrimination tweets at such a young age... it's an opportunity for the government to reeducate the younger generation."
However, earlier in the day, the culture secretary described 27-year-old Robinson's suspension as "over the top".
Oliver Dowden also called on the ECB to “think again”.
“Ollie Robinson’s tweets were offensive and wrong,” Mr Dowden said.
“They are also a decade old and written by a teenager.
“The teenager is now a man and has rightly apologised. The ECB has gone over the top by suspending him and should think again.”
Downing Street said Boris Johnson backed Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden's assessment that English cricket's governing body had gone "over the top" in its response to the Ollie Robinson row.
The prime minister's official spokesperson said Mr Johnson is "supportive" of the culture secretary's comments.
"As Oliver Dowden set out, these were comments made more than a decade ago, written by someone as a teenager, and for which they have rightly apologised," the spokesperson said.
Robinson's comments were made less than a decade ago
England captain Joe Root said after the match on Sunday he “couldn’t believe” what had emerged on Wednesday and added “it’s not acceptable within our game” before an England and Wales Cricket Board statement confirmed Robinson would leave the team bubble.
“England and Sussex bowler Ollie Robinson has been suspended from all international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following historic tweets he posted in 2012 and 2013,” the statement said.
“He will not be available for selection for the LV= Insurance second Test against New Zealand starting at Edgbaston on Thursday 10 June.
"Robinson will leave the England camp immediately and return to his county.”
After the first day’s play between England and New Zealand, Robinson read from a prepared statement to say he was “embarrassed” and “ashamed” of the offending posts.
Robinson has a separate employment contract with Sussex so he is free to play, if selected, for the county during his international suspension.