Ollie Robinson to go on a cricket sabbatical after Twitter controversy hits England

The Ollie Robinson Twitter row made a lot of waves in the cricketing fraternity. The 27-year-old made his debut in the first Test against New Zealand at Lord's and impressed one and all with his stunning performances as he took seven wickets in the game and also scored 42 runs. However, Ollie Robinson's tweets of racist and sexist nature from 2012-13 emerged on Twitter which eclipsed his noteworthy performance.

Ollie Robinson suspension: Sussex pacer takes 'short-break' from cricket

The Ollie Robinson tweets stirred a huge controversy and the debutant had to face a lot of flak from all parts of the cricketing fraternity. Ollie Robinson Twitter activities as a teenager resulted in his suspension by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). Subsequently, the ECB asked the Englishman to leave the England team's bio-bubble and join back his county team Sussex for the ongoing T20 Blast.

Now, according to a recent development, Robinson has decided to take a sabbatical from cricket after a stressful week. The news of Ollie Robinson's break from cricket was announced by Sussex through a statement on Twitter. As per the statement, Robinson will not be part of the Sussex Sharks squad for the team’s opening two Vitality Blast fixtures against Gloucestershire and Hampshire Hawks on Friday and Saturday evenings. The statement further said that after a difficult week, the bowler has decided to take a short break from the game to spend time with his young family.

"Player and staff welfare – including mental health and wellbeing - is a priority for the club and, as such, Sussex Cricket fully supports Ollie in his decision. When he is ready to return, Ollie will be welcomed back to the club, where discussions with the remainder of the squad over the last week have made clear that he retains the support of all his Sussex teammates. We remain in close contact with Ollie from a welfare perspective and will issue further updates on his availability at the relevant times," the statement read further

"Ollie is a very different man from the one that wrote those tweets and has clearly learned much in the intervening years. He has made clear the shame, embarrassment, and remorse he feels for the discriminatory comments he made. As a result of his actions, Ollie has had the opportunity to represent his country suspended, is at the centre of intense public and media scrutiny and faces the possibility of further disciplinary action from the ECB. Sussex Cricket will not be adding to these significant penalties. The club will turn its attention to supporting Ollie in his commitment to continue to educate himself in the area of equality, diversity and inclusion," the statement added.

Meanwhile, Robinson had a memorable debut as he bagged seven wickets (four in the first innings and three in the second) in the first test vs New Zealand. Moreover, he played a handy knock of 42 off 101 balls which helped the hosts cut the deficit to 103 runs, a margin which could have been much more if it wasn't for the debutant's innings. Robinson also grabbed Henry Nicholls' catch in New Zealand's first innings which broke a massive 174-run partnership. The game ended in a draw and Robinson was suspended despite his significant performance. Olly Stone replaced Robinson in England's XI for the second Test that is currently underway at the Edgbaston in Birmingham.

IMAGE SOURCE: ECB TWITTER