Two years ago England “refreshed” their Test team by discarding James Anderson and Ollie Robinson. Two years on, these spiky, fiery characters, who are now captaining their counties, started the season with tone-setting five-wicket hauls to issue reminders of their enduring quality.
Even the evergreen Anderson, still smarting at the way he was retired, would surely accept that, turning 44 in July, his England days are behind him. He is captaining Lancashire simply out of love for the county, the game, and the joy of taking wickets. He is still very good at that, taking five for 64 against Northamptonshire, including four wickets in his first six overs of the season.
But Robinson is just 32 and if he continues to bowl as he did for Sussex against promoted Leicestershire, England’s troubled think-tank will have to accept that it is time to turn back to a man they have never quite seemed able to manage. Robinson has had fitness issues and has not always been the most dependable, but England are not blessed with hordes of world-class bowlers.
Robinson has led Sussex’s attack for a decade but this is his first summer leading the XI. He does so at a time of deep strife for the county, who started the season on minus 12 points because of financial mismanagement, and facing the break-up of their best squad in a generation at the end of the season. He is shouldering a huge burden: not only are they missing an overseas fast bowler, but their attack has been hit by injury, too.
They need his wickets, and at the first time of asking, he delivered. And with a pair of Robinson’s rivals for an England place –Matt Fisher and Tom Lawes – going wicketless on a difficult day for Surrey at Edgbaston, Robinson was making a selection statement. Sam Cook will have the opportunity to respond on Sunday, having picked up two early wickets as Hampshire responded to Essex’s 461 for seven declared.
At Grace Road, Sussex stacked up 361 on the opening day of the season, and Robinson capped their day with the wicket of Leicestershire opener Rishi Patel. The following morning, he picked up nightwatchman Tom Scrivens lbw, then returned to dismiss Stevie Eskinazi, caught in the cordon, and force Australia opener Jake Weatherald to play on. He completed his 26th first-class five-wicket haul by trapping Ben Cox lbw, ending a promising partnership of 81 with Ben Green.
Robinson was ably supported by home-grown Henry Crocombe, a genuine quick who has played for England Lions. By gutting Leicestershire’s middle order, then mopping up the tail to bowl Leicestershire out for 245, he finished with a five-wicket haul of his own, his first in first-class cricket. Promising signs for Sussex, who had fortified their position further by stumps – they lead by 265 with seven wickets in hand. They should be out of the red on the points table by the time they leave Leicester.
Anderson has put Lancashire, county cricket’s sleeping giants, in a similarly strong position in their Division Two trip to Wantage Road. The early signs are that he will be a very attacking captain, packing his slip cordon and at various points posting a leg slip and short leg. In his record-breaking England career, Anderson was so often the master miser, drying up runs, but on this occasion he did not fear leaking boundaries in search of wickets.
Anderson’s wickets often came caught by the keeper and in the cordon, but left-hander Ricardo Vasconcelos was bowled by a beautiful hooping inswinger from round the wicket. The scalp of Saif Zaib, Northants’ prized wicket in recent celebration, was celebrated vigorously. His fourth wicket, James Sales, was significant; 21 years ago, Anderson twice dismissed Sales’s father, the Northants legend David, in limited-overs cricket.
With bad light an issue, Lancashire could not quite pick up Northants’ 10th wicket on day two. But having posted 384, they are in charge, with Northants 215 for nine.