Ollie Robinson says he is more ready and equipped to play Test cricket for England now than when he made his Test debut five years ago and credits his appointment as captain of Sussex for sharpening his attitude.
An Ashes hammering often ends careers but for Robinson what happened in Australia over the winter offered an unexpected lifeline from an England management forced to reconsider a player they had shunned for two years.
Robinson started this season with a text from Brendon McCullum wishing him luck, a call from Rob Key to tell him to bang down the door with wickets, followed by another chat with the England director of cricket, who congratulated him on how well he bowled when he watched him against Warwickshire a couple of weeks ago.
The text from McCullum is significant because it was the head coach who had his fill of Robinson. Back spasms in high-profile games against Australia and on the last tour of India convinced McCullum that he could not trust Robinson when he needed him the most.
Key, though, has always rated Robinson’s bowling and values his love for a confrontation with a batsman, a tenacity from bowlers that is disappearing from the game. Robinson, at 32, still has time to restart his Test career and contribute significantly for England, especially in an attack that still lacks a leader in the mould of James Anderson or Stuart Broad.
Robinson has 11 wickets at an average of 28 runs this season which, in a batsmen-dominated April, is not a bad return in Division One. He consistently bowled testing spells against Surrey, even as they ran up more than 600 in their first innings. It is with the bat he has shown his new level of maturity, scoring a hundred against Surrey after his side slumped against the new ball in the first innings. He was inventive with his field placings and cajoled his bowlers as they battled to stay in the game.
Surrey scored 622 for a big first-innings lead, but Sussex made them work hard for their first win of the season at the Oval on bank holiday Monday. Sussex forced them to bat again and there was plenty of relief from the Surrey set-up at the eight-wicket win, which kickstarted their championship season and lifted the mood at the Oval, where Surrey had not won for almost a year in four-day cricket.
Robinson believes he has probably under-bowled himself as a captain, struggling to balance when to use himself at the best times for the team, but credits leadership for making him stay switched on in the field, something that was a problem when he played Test cricket.
A winter spent in Australia in club cricket sharpened his fitness and his marriage has settled his private life, which he admits affected his cricket when playing for England in the past.
“It was nice to get those messages and calls from Keysy because at the start of the year, when I wanted to take the captaincy on, I didn’t realise the door was still open, I thought it was closed,” he said. “Those messages spurred me on. I have never had any issues [with England]. I love [Ben] Stokesy as a guy, I really enjoyed Baz when I played under him.
“A few things went on in India, but I don’t know what they really were. We never ironed anything out if there were big issues, but to get the message from Baz and calls from Keysy suggests whatever it was has been left behind, the door is open and I just need to perform to get back in. I think that is a really nice thing as a player to have. It is nice to know performances can get me back in rather than anything else.”
‘I have grown up’
He does look fitter and says he felt fresh bowling 27 overs in the Surrey innings, despite his extended stay at the crease the day before, when he scored his second first-class hundred. Perhaps batting is a good barometer for Robinson. He never showed his batting talent playing for England, mainly through a careless disregard for the value of his wicket, but the responsibility of captaincy and showing a commitment to his team-mates have resulted in an average of 79 in the first five weeks of the season.
“I was exhausted emotionally, physically from cricket and not being fit enough for the Test arena. I played for three years and in the last year played only a few games because I had two or three back spasms,” he said. “I have learnt about my body. Mentally I am a lot clearer with a lot less baggage and that does affect the body as well. I think I am training a bit harder and I feel more ready now than when I got into the England team in the first place. I have grown up a bit as well, so hopefully that helps.”
Surrey’s relief at registering a win was matched at Headingley, where Yorkshire also tasted victory for the first time this season. Joe Root and Dom Bess shared eight wickets as Somerset crumbled in their second innings to 184 all out to lose by 75 runs. It was a strong comeback win for Yorkshire, who conceded a first-innings lead of more than 100, but tipped the match in their favour on day three with runs from Root and James Wharton, as well as tail-end resistance. A fifty from Jhye Richardson, who added 85 for the final two wickets, gave Yorkshire confidence, which they took into their bowling on Monday.
Somerset, set 260 to win, collapsed from 136 for four, losing their last six wickets for 48 at Headingley as Root finished with four for 49 and Bess four for 60.
Glamorgan won their first championship match in Division One for 21 years after beating Hampshire by an innings and 68 runs at the Utilita Bowl. Glamorgan needed five wickets to win at the start of play after their mammoth first-innings 536 for seven. They were held up by Ben Brown’s 96, but two quick wickets for Mason Crane – he dismissed Scott Currie and Kyle Abbott – left Brown running out of partners. Hampshire are bottom of the table after three home defeats while Glamorgan, promoted last year, are looking comfortable in Division One.
Defending champions Nottinghamshire are top and play Surrey next week in a crucial early-season game. Notts beat Leicestershire by 10 wickets, easing to victory in the first session on day four. Olly Stone’s wickets had set up the win on Sunday, which was settled by spinner Liam Patterson-White, who bowled unchanged to take five for 53.
In Division Two, Kent won their first championship match for more than 12 months when they hammered Derbyshire by 225 runs at Canterbury.