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Here’s to you, Ollie Robinson – England need you more than you will knowFigure caption, How’s that for a return?! Robinson takes three wickets in first over in two yearsByStephan Shemilt
Paul Farbrace has a gag about how Ollie Robinson came to be Sussex captain.
Farbrace, the Sussex head coach, realised he had not got his step-son a decent Christmas present, so offered him the county captaincy instead.
It’s a nice line. The truth is that Sussex wanted to get the absolute best out of their champion bowler and reasoned it would come through more responsibility.
Around the same time, England were getting their quadrennial shellacking in Australia. Among the myriad of English plans to fail down under was the idea of hitting the Aussies with high pace and hostility.
And so Robinson and England were once again set on convergent paths, culminating in his comeback for the ages on day one of the first Test against New Zealand.
With three wickets in his first over in an England shirt for more than two years, Robinson added his own moment of history to a Lord’s ground celebrating its 150th Test. He reannounced himself as an international bowler, gave life to England’s post-Ashes rebuild and quite possibly provided precious breathing space to the management that once discarded him.
It is 829 days since Robinson last played for England and 1,069 since he was last able to celebrate a wicket.
To look at Robinson’s statistics would shed no light on the reason for his absence. A return of 76 wickets from 20 Tests at an average below 23 with a strike-rate better than 50 is world-class.
But England decided that Robinson was not worth the hassle.
On his Test debut in 2021, he was discovered to have made racist and sexist social media posts as a teenager. On the Ashes tour of that winter, his fitness was publicly questioned by then England bowling coach Jon Lewis.
Robinson was on the outside when the Bazball revolution began in 2022, yet, by the end of that summer, Robinson, calling himself a “gym freak”, was a fixture under Brendon McCullum and Ben Stokes.
The harmony lasted little more than a year. Robinson suffered a back problem in the Headingley Ashes Test of 2023. When he returned in the fourth Test against India in Ranchi the following year, Robinson was struck by more back issues and dropped a crucial catch.
Off the field, he had gone through the break-up of a relationship and England were not impressed by a podcast he made with new partner, the golf influencer Mia Baker. McCullum and co had had enough.
Robinson was exiled for 24 Tests. In that time, 13 other men bowled seam in Test cricket for England. Fourteen, if you count Harry Brook’s wrong-footed part-time filth.
Robinson spent part of the Ashes winter playing club cricket in Sydney, mainly to work on his game, but also to be in the right place if England needed him. One wonders how many bowlers would have had to go down for Robinson to get the call, especially given a reserve Lions squad was also in Australia. Maybe 15, even 20?
But necessity is the mother of invention or, in this case, reinvention.
Humbled in Australia, England were badly in need of an attack-leader, a reliable tone-setter.
This summer is the first since 2007 that none of James Anderson, Stuart Broad or Chris Woakes will play a Test for England. Throw in the likelihood that Mark Wood will never play another Test and it means the four cornerstones of England’s pace attack have gone in the space of three years, taking 1,609 wickets with them.
So England reached out to Robinson, telling him at the start of the summer he was back on the radar. Already maturing with the captaincy, Robinson lasered-in on the goal of an international recall.
Those at Hove speak of an intense focus on a chance Robinson once thought had gone. Extra training sessions, leading on and off the field amid the turmoil of a points deduction for financial issues. The bowling was in good order, and there was even a vital century with the bat against Surrey.
When the England recall came, director of cricket Rob Key called Robinson “one of the best bowlers in the world”. McCullum mentioned he had “banged the door down”, while Stokes challenged Robinson to “stay here as long as he can”.
On a murky and moody Thursday at Lord’s, Robinson rose to the challenge.
England had been rolled over for 140 by the excellent New Zealanders and all of Key, McCullum and Stokes must have been wondering if the Ashes rebuild was going to be reduced to rubble. Salvation came from the man they had shunned.
With the clouds hovering, rain threatening and pitch nibbling, Robinson was the perfect horse for this course.
Rumbling in from the Nursery End, nipping the ball down the slope to left-hander Devon Conway.
Third ball. Front pad. Finger up. Robinson’s eyes wide with delight, Conway aghast at a review that showed enough of leg stump was being clipped.
Highlights: 16 wickets fall on opening day as England fight back against New Zealand
Two balls later and the crowd were singing Robinson’s name as he rocked his shoulders towards Kiwi great Kane Williamson. Perfect length, Kane not able to get a proper stride. An inside edge to short leg.
Yet more to come. Rachin Ravindra. Another left-hander and another ball jagging down the Lord’s slope. Only pad between ball and stump. A triple-wicket maiden and a return to go down in English cricketing folklore.
There was still time for one more trick of the hand. Daryl Mitchell not playing a shot, but this time the ball darted up the slope to uproot the unguarded off stump. Robinson sleeps with figures of 4-10, New Zealand on life support at 61-6.
The irony in all of this is the party line from Key, McCullum and Stokes on Robinson’s prolonged absence.
Their demand has always been for Robinson to hit “82, 83 or 84 mph”. On the first day at Lord’s, Robinson’s average speed was 80.3mph, the slowest of the eight seamers on show – including injured New Zealander Matt Henry. His fastest speed was 82.3mph – which he hit once – and slowest was 77.1.
Where Robinson excelled was in expert use of the helpful conditions with immaculate line and length, topped off with fingertip control to have the ball skipping off the seam.
Robinson ended the day on 80 Test wickets at an average of 21.9. Not since the legendary Fred Trueman hung up his boots in 1965 has any England bowler taken that many Test wickets at a better average. Using the same 80-wicket qualification, Robinson’s strike-rate of 47.9 is the best since Sydney Barnes, whose career ended 112 years ago.
Is Robbo’s return bittersweet? The wonder of what might have been, especially on those juicy pitches in Australia?
Perhaps it could only have been now that Robinson was ready for this moment – he admitted he was “nowhere near” being able to play a role in the Ashes.
So, Robinson is back. On this showing, for how long is up to him.
Here’s to you, Ollie Robinson. England need you more than you will know.
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