Ollie Robinson marked his return to the England Test side after a 23-month absence with one of the most extraordinary opening spells seen at Lord’s in a generation, ripping through New Zealand’s top order with a triple-wicket maiden as the tourists collapsed to 2-3 inside the first hour of the opening Test.
The 32-year-old Sussex seamer, recalled in place of the injured Chris Woakes, removed Devon Conway, Kane Williamson and Daryl Mitchell in the space of four deliveries to leave New Zealand reeling at lunch on 47-5. By the close, the visitors had been dismissed for 132, with Robinson returning figures of 6-29 from 14.2 overs — the best by an England bowler at Lord’s since Stuart Broad’s 7-44 against the same opposition in 2013.
A spell that turned the morning on its head
New Zealand had won the toss and elected to bat under heavy cloud cover, a decision that looked questionable from the moment Robinson took the ball in the sixth over. His opening delivery to Conway, angled in from over the wicket and seaming away off the seam, took the outside edge and was pouched smartly by Joe Root at first slip.
Two balls later, Williamson — the world’s third-ranked Test batter — was undone by a delivery that nipped back through the gate to clip the top of off stump. The replays suggested the ball had moved a fraction over a foot from a length of seven metres, a degree of lateral movement that explained the New Zealand captain’s bewildered glance at the surface as he departed.
Mitchell lasted a single ball. Pinned on the crease by an inswinger angled across his pad, he was given out lbw on the field and, after a brief consultation with Tom Latham, opted against the review. Ball-tracking later confirmed the decision was umpire’s call on impact and crashing into middle. Robinson, who had finished the over with a maiden, walked off to a standing ovation from a 28,000-strong Lord’s crowd that had barely settled into its seats.
From exile to centre stage
Robinson’s last appearance in an England shirt came in July 2024, when he was withdrawn from the squad for the Sri Lanka series with a recurring back complaint that had limited him to nine first-class matches in the previous two seasons. A return to county cricket in May 2025 produced 41 wickets at 18.6, but a fresh hamstring tear ruled him out of last winter’s Ashes and prompted widespread speculation that his international career was over.
Head coach Brendon McCullum, who had publicly questioned Robinson’s fitness culture during the 2023 Ashes, was effusive in his praise at stumps. “Ollie has done everything we asked of him over the past 18 months,” McCullum said. “He’s lost nine kilos, he’s been bowling 30 overs a week in the nets, and he deserves every wicket he got today. That spell was as good as anything I’ve seen from an England seamer.”
The performance also vindicated the selection panel chaired by Luke Wright, which had preferred Robinson to the uncapped Lancashire seamer Tom Aspinwall despite the latter’s superior wicket tally in the County Championship this season. Captain Ben Stokes, who handed Robinson the new ball ahead of the more experienced Mark Wood, described the decision as “the easiest call I’ve made all year”.
What it means for the series
England, who resumed on 89-1 in reply through Zak Crawley and Ollie Pope, hold a commanding position in a match they were widely expected to struggle in given the absence of Woakes and the limited preparation following the conclusion of the IPL. A first-innings lead of any size at Lord’s, where the average fourth-innings chase is 207, will be difficult for New Zealand to overhaul on a surface offering pronounced seam movement.
The broader implications are more intriguing still. With the Ashes return series scheduled for the winter of 2026-27, Robinson’s emergence as a fit, attacking option offers Stokes a genuine third seamer to support Wood and Jofra Archer — a luxury the side has lacked since Jimmy Anderson’s retirement in 2024.
Key takeaways from day one:
- Robinson’s 6-29 is the fourth-best return by an England bowler on Test return after a gap of two years or more
- New Zealand’s 132 is their lowest first-innings total at Lord’s since 1958
- England have won 11 of their last 12 Tests at the ground when bowling first
- Robinson now has 79 Test wickets at an average of 21.4 across 21 matches
Play resumes at 11am on Friday with England 43 runs behind and nine wickets in hand. On the evidence of a remarkable opening day, the tourists may already be playing for a draw.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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