Grown-up version of Ollie Robinson must seize chance to earn shot at Ashes redemption

Last winter, Ollie Robinson and England were living separate lives on the same continent. To the cracking of crockery and gnashing of teeth, England played five Tests as Bazball imploded. Robinson meanwhile toddled off to play grade cricket for the University of Sydney with no thoughts of playing for England at all.Eight months later, Robinson’s life has turned upside down. After being dropped in 2024 by England over his attitude to fitness and suspicions of malingering, he was suddenly in favour again. In his first Test back in June he galumphed in from the Nursery End at Lord’s and took three wickets in his first over, a nipped‑back lbw, a nipped‑back catch at short leg and then another lbw. Boy’s Own stuff. He finished with seven wickets in the Test, and an award for player of the match.After picking up a knee injury and missing the other Tests against New Zealand, he was back to face Pakistan and has pressed repeat. He has two more awards for player of the match in the two Tests against Pakistan and 16 wickets at an astonishing 7.18.What happened in the intervening months? As always, probably lots of little things adding up to one big whole. In Australia he rediscovered his zest for cricket, and the perception is that he grew up a bit, got married and, perhaps belatedly, the penny dropped. He worked on his fitness, built up his stamina. The rest of it was always there – a metronomic ability to bowl the right length, and test the inside and outside edge. And then England changed, too.The person who knows him better than anyone else is Paul Farbrace. The Sussex head coach, who is also Robinson’s stepfather, said: “A lot of people ask what has changed, but I don’t think he has changed enormously. Sometimes your stock goes up when you’re not in the team. People suddenly decide you’re better than they thought you were.“I’ve been on the record saying there wasn’t a great deal of interaction under Brendon McCullum and for the first time in the last few months Marcus North has been in touch to ask how to get the best out of Oliver.“One thing that has never been in doubt is his skill level, but England decided they wanted bowlers over 85mph. Then the Ashes, with Alex Carey up to the stumps, proved that those who hit line and length consistently are always going to be difficult to play. The best players in the world are happy against pace but it is always difficult when there is a lot of bounce or nip.“What Oliver has is a high level of skill, the highest release point in world cricket, an ability to hit the seam and move the ball both ways. He wanted to play for England again but we all thought that chance had gone. But he and I had a chat and I said if the coach changed he’s got a chance and he realised it was now or never. The change of coach came at a good time for him. It won’t have been so good for other people. That’s the way the game works.”Giving him the captaincy of Sussex at the start of the year also proved to be a very shrewd move by Farbrace. “We have got the best out of him by making him captain. He has reacted very well to the responsibility and he has a very good cricketing brain.“I said to him: ‘I don’t want you going off the field. I want you to play every game, stay on the field for every ball. If you have to come off to change your boots, fair enough but I’m not having you coming off and sitting down in the dressing room.’ And fair enough, he’s bowled in every game and stayed on the field and people began to notice that he was notching up games consistently.”Ollie Robinson leaves the field with an injury he sustained mid over against Australia at the Headingley Test in 2023. Photograph: Greig Cowie/ShutterstockAnd how should England handle him? “My advice to anyone with him is don’t let him take his foot off the gas. Keep him on a reasonably tight leash and give him responsibility. They’ve talked to him about leading the attack, and he enjoys that. You only get so many chances and this is his chance to be involved with next summer’s Ashes. The Ashes didn’t go that well for him last time so he’s got a point to prove.”Before that there is another Test against Pakistan, then a tough winter with three Tests against South Africa and two against Bangladesh. There will be long third and fourth spells of toil in the hot sun. A chance for both England and Robinson to show how they’ve changed, while the bowler and his skills remain the same.