Ollie Robinson feared that his Test career was over after the discovery of racist and sexist tweets that had overshadowed his debut for England.
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The posts were made when the now 27-year-old Robinson was 18 and 19 years old, and surfaced during the first day of his debut Test match against New Zealand.
Robinson received an eight-match ban, five of which were suspended, and also copped a £3,200 fine. He was also placed on various rehabilitation courses and instructed to work with the Professional Cricketers’ Association in order to share his experiences.
In his first game since the ban ended, Robinson took his maiden Test five wicket haul, claiming 5-85 against India at Trent Bridge.
“There was definitely a time when I had doubts over my career,” said Robinson.
“I was speaking with my lawyers and we were looking at the fact I could be banned for a couple of years. That would have taken me up to the age of 30 and someone else could have come in and taken my spot. So yes I had doubts over my career. I thought I might never play for England again.
“It was tough, probably the toughest few weeks of my life. It affected not only myself, but my family and I’ve obviously learnt a lot since that. I didn’t really realise the scrutiny, or media scrutiny, involved in Test cricket but I’ve learnt a lot and looking forward to moving on from that experience.”
Robinson, who had been fired by Yorkshire in 2014, stressed that he is a very different person now to the one who had posted the tweets almost ten years previously.
“I was a young, naive guy. I made a lot of mistakes then, not just those tweets and I’ve grown a lot as a person in that time. I had negative press for getting sacked by Yorkshire at a similar time. I’ve learnt a lot and tried to develop myself as a person in the last ten years. I’m a father now as well and just trying to make myself the best person I can be and hopefully people can see that.”
