History made! England's Ollie Robinson becomes first cricketer in 149 years to achieve rare feat

England and New Zealand are squaring off in the first Test of a three-match series at Lord’s, and so far, the bowlers have completely dictated the narrative. On a pitch that refuses to offer any mercy to batters, both teams have struggled to put big runs on the board.

But it’s the English attack that’s taken things up a notch—defending a very modest total of 140 in their first innings and then blowing New Zealand away in dramatic fashion. New Zealand’s batting line-up just collapsed, only managing 113 runs when they came out to bat. The man of the moment? Ollie Robinson.

He took full control, walking off the field with a five-wicket haul and putting his name in the history books. Robinson struck gold right out of the gate, taking three wickets in his first over of the second innings—an incredible feat. In fact, that made him the first England player to ever grab three or more wickets in his very first over of a Test innings—a record that’s stood for 149 years.

Also read| IND vs AFG Live Streaming, One-off Test: When and where to watch India vs Afghanistan live on TV and online? Let’s talk about the details. In just his second over, Robinson dismissed Devon Conway (LBW), Kane Williamson (caught), and Rachin Ravindra (LBW). This rare achievement places him among a short list of bowlers from around the world who have accomplished the same in Test cricket.

Some famous names on that list: Nuwan Zoysa from Sri Lanka, who tore through Zimbabwe back in 1999; India’s Irfan Pathan, who stunned Pakistan in Karachi with a hat-trick in the very first over in 2006; and more recently, Scott Boland and Mitchell Starc from Australia, who have both produced similar magic in the early overs. Robinson’s addition to this group is a testament to his skill and composure under pressure. Here’s a quick look at other bowlers who’ve taken three wickets in their first over of a Test match: - Nuwan Zoysa (Sri Lanka, vs Zimbabwe, 1999) - Irfan Pathan (India, vs Pakistan, 2006) - Daniel Vettori (New Zealand, vs Bangladesh, 2008) - Haris Sohail (Pakistan, vs Sri Lanka, 2017) - Scott Boland (Australia, vs West Indies, 2022) - Mitchell Starc (Australia, vs West Indies, 2025) - And now, Ollie Robinson (England, vs New Zealand, 2026) Back to Lord’s—England may have stumbled with the bat, getting all out for just 140 runs in the first innings. Captain Harry Brook held the line for as long as he could, scoring a gritty 58, while New Zealand’s Kylie Jamieson picked up five wickets, supported by Nathan Smith with three and William O'Rourke with two.

Then, when it was New Zealand’s turn to bat, England flipped the script. They skittled the Kiwis for 113, taking a slender but significant 27-run lead. Ollie Robinson’s five wickets did the most damage, and Josh Tongue chipped in with three crucial breakthroughs.

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