ECB should not go too hard on Ollie Robinson if he has changed, states Michael Holding

West Indies bowling great Michael Holding has shown solidarity to England bowler Ollie Robbinson, after his suspension by England Cricket Board over old tweets that went viral soon after the Sussex player made his Test debut against New Zealand. 

Robinson, 27, had an unforgettable debut match to start his international career, for good and bad reasons. Despite an impressive all-around performance where he picked seven wickets and added 42 runs with the bat, Robinson was shocked to receive the news of his suspension by coach Chris Silverwood, over decade-old tweets, containing derogatory comments. 

Holding came out in support of Robinson and asked the ECB not to look at him over his old behaviour by citing his own example of behaving and committing many unwanted mistakes. Holding has requested the board to not come hard on him and start a quick investigation about the incident. 

“[It was] eight, nine years ago. Can the ECB then find out please, if beyond that time, Robinson has kept on behaving like that, saying things like that, tweeting things like that?” Holding told Sky Sports. 

“Because I was a young man once, I did a lot of rubbish as a youngster, and as you go through life you learn and recognise ‘Oh, perhaps what I did at 18 doesn’t apply now, I can’t behave like that now,” Holding added.

“If he has done something like that nine years ago, and since then he has learnt and he has done nothing like that and he has changed his ways in recent years, then I don’t think you should come down too hard on him."

Holding also insisted that the decision to suspend him because of ‘investigation’ was the right move but added that it has to be gotten over quickly once the decision has been made. 

“Yes, suspend him because you want to investigate. You don’t allow him to continue playing, like on Thursday, while an investigation is going on at the same time, because if you find out things that are horrible coming out in that investigation. But do it quickly, let’s get it over with quickly,” he concluded.