England fast bowler Ollie Robinson will make his first Test appearance since January after being selected on Wednesday for the second match of the series against South Africa, having proved his fitness to England captain Ben Stokes following a string of niggling injuries.
Robinson will replace Matt Potts in England’s only change for the Old Trafford Test starting on Thursday, in the wake of an innings defeat to the Proteas at Lord’s last week.
Robinson was England’s leading wicket-taker with 28 in his first summer of Test cricket last year but his conditioning was publicly criticized by bowling coach Jon Lewis during the Ashes Tour Down Under.
Robinson missed the subsequent three-match Test series away to the West Indies because of back spasms and has endured an interrupted start to the domestic season due to a variety of unrelated issues.
Stokes said he told Robinson “exactly where I stand” in conversations with the pacer, adding: “That enabled him to go away and work on what has been asked of him. All I can say is he’s done that to the absolute extreme.”
Robinson got through a four-day Tour match against South Africa for England Lions — essentially the national team’s reserve side — and has done enough to replace Potts, who failed to make an impression at Lord’s especially against the Proteas’ left-handers.
“I think it’s obviously been a very difficult time for Ollie because it wasn’t that his form was letting him down. It was his body,” Stokes said. “That’s obviously a very tough thing to deal with.”
Stokes said Robinson was preferred because his height and high release was likely to extract more bounce from a traditionally lively surface in Manchester.
Potts might count himself unfortunate. His excellent early-season form with Durham — where he is a teammate of Stokes — earned him a Test debut and he starred in three straight victories over New Zealand and another against India.
“It’s very tough for Matty to miss out,” Stokes said, “but what he’s done in the five games that he’s played is he’s taken himself from a county cricketer with a lot of promise and really announced himself on the big stage.”
With no other opener in the squad, Zak Crawley was retained in the team but he will go into the match with the pressure firmly on him, with his average this summer having dropped to 16.40 across 10 Test innings.
- Associated Press
When is England vs South Africa 2nd Test match?
The 2nd Test between England and South Africa will be starting on August 25, 2022.
At what time will England vs South Africa 2nd Test match start?
The 2nd Test between England and South Africa will start at 3:30 PM IST (10AM GMT, 11AM Local).
Which TV channels will broadcast England vs South Africa 2nd Test match in India?
The England vs South Africa 2nd Test will be telecast live on the Sony Sports Network in India.
Where can I watch the live streaming of the England vs South Africa 2nd Test match in India?
The live streaming of the England vs South Africa 2nd Test will be available on SonyLiv and Jio TV apps.
Where will the England vs South Africa, 2nd Test be played?
The 2nd Test match between England and South Africa will be played at the Lord's cricket stadium in London.
SQUADS
England: Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Joe Root, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Foakes, Jack Leach, Alex Lees, Craig Overton, Matthew Potts, Ollie Pope, Ollie Robinson
South Africa: Dean Elgar, Sarel Erwee, Simon Harmer, Marco Jansen, Keshav Maharaj, Aiden Markram, Lungi Ngidi, Anrich Nortje, Duanne Olivier, Keegan Petersen, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton, Lutho Sipamla, Glenton Stuurman, Rassie van der Dussen, Kyle Verreynne, Khaya Zondo
Comments
SHARE