Ollie Robinson: From cricketing wilderness to England’s 'New Ball King'
Ollie Robinson returned to Test cricket at Lord’s in June, taking a triple-wicket maiden against New Zealand in his comeback Test and re-establishing himself in England’s attack.
The 32-year-old all-rounder had not worn the England whites for more than two years until that match, his previous appearance coming against India in Ranchi in 2024 where a back spasm while batting was followed by 13 wicketless overs and pace that at one stage dipped below 70mph. Fitness concerns dated back to the 2021-22 Ashes and re-emerged during the 2023 home season; as then bowling coach Jon Lewis had said, “If he’s going to perform consistently over a long period at this level, he’ll need to be a fitter bowler.” During the India tour a podcast Robinson hosted with his now spouse revealed behind-the-scenes details from the England camp and the episode was taken down at management’s request.
Robinson rebuilt his career with Sussex after the England door closed, helping the county earn promotion in 2024 and continuing to take wickets the following season. By the start of 2026 Sussex had made him red-ball captain; the side won three of its opening five County Championship matches while he led with 17 wickets and 305 runs, including an unbeaten century at No. 10 against Surrey at The Oval.
A winter playing grade cricket for Sydney University in late 2025 helped Robinson regain enthusiasm for the game; “Just got the love of the game back, really,” he said during his comeback Test at Lord’s versus New Zealand this June. Around Christmas he had “thought at Christmas time I was never playing for England again,” and told Wisden before the season, “As much as I obviously want to play for England again, I need to take wickets and rip up trees to receive that call.” Brendon McCullum noted the county form, saying, “We said bang the door down, and through the weight of performance in County cricket he has banged the door down.”
Robinson’s return at Lord’s was immediate and dramatic: after two uneventful deliveries his third ball trapped Devon Conway in front, two balls later Kane Williamson lobbed one to short-leg for a duck and Rachin Ravindra was then trapped leg-before, producing a triple-wicket maiden. He finished with five for 39 in the first innings, added two wickets in the second and contributed 29 with the bat as England completed a 115-run victory. He missed the next two New Zealand Tests, the first due to injury and the second through non-selection.
The three Tests against Pakistan turned the comeback into a sequence of match-winning displays. At Headingley Robinson trapped Azan Awais with the first ball and finished with five for 51 and three for 29 as England won by an innings and 103 runs. At Lord’s he bowled a five-over opening spell that cost six runs, returned for another seven overs that conceded four runs and fetched four wickets — finishing four for 11 in the first innings and taking another four in the second as England wrapped up the series. At Edgbaston his three for 15 included his 100th Test wicket, he then cracked a 47-ball 50 and removed Saim Ayub with the first delivery and Abdullah Shafique three balls later; England completed an eight-wicket win and a 3-0 sweep. Robinson took 21 wickets from those three fixtures at an average of 8.76 and an economy rate of 2.04.
Questions about whether his body and mind could sustain Test cricket were answered by a fitter, clearer Robinson who retained his height, movement and control but now had the physical resilience to maintain it; his returns across the summer totalled 28 wickets from four Tests and he was named England’s Test Player-of-the-Summer. McCullum had warned of the consequences if pace dropped: “When his pace drops to 75, 76mph and the threat diminishes, he is not the same bowler.”
Nine months after that Christmas doubt, Robinson is now the No. 3 bowler in the world. “The hard work’s not done yet. We’re just getting started,” said Robinson.
