UK Culture Secretary says ECB went "over the top" in suspending Ollie Robinson

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson has backed comments made by Oliver Dowden. Robinson, 27, has been dropped for the second Test, which begins at Edgbaston on Thursday, pending an investigation.

Ollie Robinson had to face major embarrassment as a chain of his racist and sexist tweets from nine years ago resurfaced on social media.

The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) went "over the top" by suspending fast bowler Ollie Robinson from all international cricket for racist and sexist comments he made on Twitter in the past, UK culture minister Oliver Dowden said on Monday.

Robinson apologised "unreservedly" for Twitter posts he made from 2012-2013 that went viral on social media last week when he made his Test debut against New Zealand at Lord's.

The ECB on Sunday suspended the 27-year-old pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation into the incident.

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"Ollie Robinson's tweets were offensive and wrong," Dowden tweeted

"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."

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Later, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson backed comments made by Dowden. A spokesperson for Johnson said: "The PM is supportive of Oliver Dowden's comments. As Dowden set out, these were comments made more than a decade ago written by someone as a teenager and for which they've rightly apologised."