Culture secretary says board’s action is ‘over the top’England head coach says impossible to dismiss tweetsThe prime minister,
Boris Johnson, and the sports minister, Oliver Dowden, have both criticised the
England and Wales
Cricket Board’s decision to suspend the bowler Ollie Robinson from international cricket while it conducts an investigation into historic offensive tweets published in 2012 and 2013, with Dowden insisting the move was “over the top”.
Robinson excelled on debut in England’s first Test against
New Zealand, which ended in a draw on Sunday, taking seven wickets and scoring 42 in the first innings, a total bettered only by the centurion Rory Burns. His performance was all the more impressive for having been played out amid the controversy caused by the tweets, which were rediscovered and widely distributed as play progressed on the opening day. His suspension was announced on Sunday night, ruling him out of the second match which starts in Birmingham on Thursday, and potentially beyond.