Ollie Robinson was 'nowhere near ready for Ashes' despite stunning comeback display

Matches (25) ENG vs NZ (1) PAK vs AUS (1) Vitality Blast Men (7) Asian Games Qualifier (2) SCOT Tri-Nation Women (1) Ireland Tri-Nation Women (1) GAK One Day (1) Eswatini T20 Tri (3) South Africa A in England (1) Vitality Blast Women (3) Blast Women League 2 (4) Stumps Starts 10:00 AM1st Test • Lord's (19.2 ov) 61/6 Day 1 - New Zealand trail by 79 runs. RESULT 3rd ODI • Lahore (41.5/50 ov, T:158) 161/6 Pakistan won by 4 wickets (with 49 balls remaining) Delayed Vitality Blast Men • Taunton (2/20 ov, T:203) 29/0 Glamorgan need 174 runs in 108 balls. ScheduleTable UpcomingAsian Games Qualifier • Singapore Match starts in 5 hrs 23 mins ScheduleTable UpcomingAsian Games Qualifier • Singapore Match yet to begin ScheduleTable RESULT SCOT Tri-Nation Women • Edinburgh (8/8 ov) 98/3 (8/8 ov, T:99) 85/5 BAN Women won by 13 runs ScheduleTable ABANDONED Ireland Tri-Nation Women • Dublin Match abandoned without a ball bowled ScheduleTable RESULT Final • GAK One Day • Amanullah (38/50 ov, T:278) 193 Speen-Ghar won by 84 runs ScheduleTable RESULT Eswatini T20 Tri • Malkerns (20 ov, T:201) 178/3 Mozambique won by 22 runs ScheduleTable RESULT Eswatini T20 Tri • Malkerns (20 ov, T:201) 178/3 Mozambique won by 22 runs ScheduleTable RESULT Eswatini T20 Tri • Malkerns (8.1/20 ov, T:92) 93/3 Eswatini won by 7 wickets (with 71 balls remaining) ScheduleTable Upcoming1st unofficial ODI • Leicester Match yet to begin UpcomingVitality Blast Women • Leeds Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingVitality Blast Women • The Oval Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingVitality Blast Women • Nottingham Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingBlast Women League 2 • Hove Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingBlast Women League 2 • Northampton Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingBlast Women League 2 • Bristol Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingBlast Women League 2 • Canterbury Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingVitality Blast Men • Leeds Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingVitality Blast Men • The Oval Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingVitality Blast Men • Hove Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingVitality Blast Men • Hove Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingVitality Blast Men • Nottingham Match yet to begin ScheduleTable UpcomingVitality Blast Men • Worcester Match yet to begin ScheduleTable Andrew Miller Published: Jun 4, 2026, 7:59 PM (8 mins ago) Ollie Robinson struck third ball on his Test comeback • Gareth Copley/ECB via Getty Images Ollie Robinson said that the acclaim he received from the Lord's crowd made the "hard work" worthwhile, but admitted he would not have been ready to play a role in the Ashes, as he marked his return to Test cricket after a two-and-a-half year absence with a sensational spell of wobble-seam bowling at Lord's. Armed with the new ball and operating from the Nursery End, Robinson ripped through New Zealand's top-order with a first-over triple-wicket maiden, then added a fourth in his opening six-over spell, to seize the ascendancy for England at the close of a 16-wicket first day.

By stumps, New Zealand had limped to 61 for 6, a deficit of 79, despite having bowled England out for just 140 in their own first innings. And afterwards, Robinson said he had never heard a louder noise on a cricket field than the roar that greeted the second of his wickets, a looping inside-edge to short leg that sent New Zealand's main man, Kane Williamson, back for a second-ball duck. "There was a point where I couldn't really hear [the crowd]," Robinson said. "I was just on cloud nine, I suppose, and my legs were numb, and I was just trying to really calm myself down and focus on the moment.

"But I think after the second wicket, that's probably the loudest I've ever heard on a cricket field. The crowd were amazing and it was just an unbelievably special day for me and for the team. "I had a lot of nerves yesterday, a lot of nerves this morning, and to get out there and do that was pretty special. I still can't really put it into words.

I think it will sink in, hopefully later tonight, but it was just an incredible day of Test-match cricket, and an incredible feeling to be out there and do that too." Robinson's command of length and seam movement was impeccable, and reminiscent of the methods that Australia's bowlers - principally Scott Boland - had used to undermine England's aggressive intent during last winter's Ashes. England brace for new beginnings as old failings take back seat Kyle Jamieson completes long climb back up 'red-ball Everest' Robinson routs New Zealand top-order as England hit back on 16-wicket day Jamieson: 'Screws and wire doesn't make you bulletproof' He also gave an indication afterwards of the astute bowling brain that had earned him the respect of James Anderson and Stuart Broad during his initial spell in the side, and the thought processes that went into his subsequent dissection of New Zealand's batting. "We saw [New Zealand] bowl first, and I was watching the TV in the changing-room quite closely," Robinson said. "We saw that their swing balls weren't really reacting off the pitch as quick as their wobble was.

"All of the batters came back and said it was nipping quite fast, even though some of the air-speed wasn't as quick as maybe normal. I thought, as soon as I went out there, I would try and just wobble it, because you could see when people were on those tight wobbles, it was a little bit quicker off the surface. "Me and Gus [Atkinson] spoke about swinging it back to [Tom] Latham just before he got him out, just because he started to leave straight away, as soon as he could see the line. Apart from that, it was mainly wobble." It all begged the question as to whether Robinson could have been England's missing link in that 4-1 loss to Australia, as a leader of the attack as well as a point-of-difference with the ball.

And though he responded to the query with a telling sigh, he also insisted that he would not have been ready, mentally or physically, for that campaign. "To be honest, I was nowhere near ready to play, or anywhere near where I am now, as a person, as a cricketer," he said. "It's only probably been the last few months that I've got the enjoyment back for the game, and knuckled down a bit more." Robinson did travel out in Australia during the winter, to play grade cricket for Sydney University CC. During his stint, he even made a cameo in a New South Wales nets session, and ended up bowling to Steve Smith in the lead-up to the first Test.

"The wickets might have suited me," he admitted, "but I wasn't ready to play. I didn't really feel like I was going to get back in unless I smashed the door down with performances, and fortunately I've got back in, and Baz [McCullum] and Stokesy [Ben Stokes] have given me every bit of backing that they could possibly give me, which I'm really grateful for." Stokes' support included the granting of an unusual request, with Robinson trading in his previous England shirt number of 57, and emerging for this Test with the number 1 emblazoned across his back - an honour usually reserved for the captain, but now seemingly given over to the No.1 bowler in the attack. "Let's hope so," he said. "It's my lucky number, and my birthday [December 1].

I didn't realise it was the captain's number, but Stokesy had no objections, so I'm thankful for him to let me have it. "Stokesy sent me a text last week, [he said] 'it's great to have you back, but just know the hard work's still to be done', and that's what's constantly in my head at the moment. "I've been out of the team for a couple of years, and to have the full support of everyone out there, and the backroom staff, and see how happy they were with how it went, was just incredible. "I don't think I'm a different bowler," he added.

"Like people have said, my skill has never really been in doubt. It's more the fitness and the other things, and I think when I got the call from Keysy [Robert Key] and text from Baz, I knew that I had a lot of hard work to put in, and that's what I've tried to do over the last few months. "I'm not the finished article by any means. I've still got a lot of work to do, but those sort of sessions there definitely make it all worthwhile." Ollie RobinsonEnglandNew ZealandEngland vs New ZealandNew Zealand tour of England Andrew Miller is UK editor of ESPNcricinfo. @miller_cricket Terms of Use • Privacy Policy • EU Privacy Rights • Cookie Policy • Feedback