Ollie Robinson sent down 27 overs in the second Test at Lord’s and conceded 35 runs. He took eight wickets doing it — 4-11 in Pakistan’s first innings, 4-24 in the second — at an economy rate of 1.29, figures that belong to a different era of cricket entirely. England won by 194 runs and sealed the series with a match to spare.
For BBC cricket correspondent Jonathan Agnew, the performance carried an unmistakable echo. “Everything was utterly rhythmical, repetitive and perfectly grooved,” Agnew said of Robinson’s action — the phrase he has long reserved for Glenn McGrath, the Australian who took 563 Test wickets without ever bowling much above 84mph. Agnew called Robinson “the most natural bowler I have seen” on his England debut five years ago. Nothing since has changed his mind.
The numbers behind the comeback
Robinson is 32 and was, until this summer, two and a half years outside the England side. Since his recall he has taken 23 wickets in three Tests at an average of 8.35. He sits on 99 Test wickets, one short of a landmark that looked closed to him eighteen months ago.
At Lord’s, Pakistan were dismissed for 110 in their first innings — Azan Awais top-scored with 46, and extras were the next-highest contributor. Set 389 to win, they mustered 194, with Saud Shakeel falling three short of a century for 97. Josh Tongue took three in the fourth innings, Jofra Archer two, having earlier removed three for 26 while touching 95mph.
That contrast matters. Archer bowls at 95mph. Robinson operates at around 82mph, dropping to 77-78mph deep into a spell. He is not out-pacing anyone. He is out-thinking them, ball after ball, from a length so consistent that batters run out of ways to be patient.
The old tactic Australia brought back
The tweak fuelling Robinson’s summer is not new. It is close to a century old, and England borrowed it from Australia, where Alex Carey made a habit of standing up to the stumps to the medium-quicks during recent Ashes cricket.
Jamie Smith did the same at Lord’s, keeping almost exclusively up to the stumps to Robinson. The effect is simple and severe:
- Robinson can bowl fuller, because there is no fear of the batter advancing down the pitch to smother the swing
- A fuller length means more movement, both in the air and off the seam
- The batter’s front foot is pinned; every stride out of the crease becomes a stumping risk
- Defensive pushes that would normally be safe now carry an edge to a keeper two yards from the bat
“It may seem obvious, but that tweak is really playing into Robinson’s strengths,” Agnew said.
The tactic is only as good as the gloves behind it. Standing up to a swinging ball at 82mph is among the hardest jobs in cricket — one late deviation and it is four byes or a dropped chance. “Of course, you cannot do any of this without a good wicketkeeper,” Agnew added. “Praise must also go to Jamie Smith.”
Smith’s improvement has been substantial, and it has a source: wicketkeeping coach Sarah Taylor, widely regarded as one of the finest glovework technicians the game has produced, has been working closely with him. It is a piece of England back-room investment that has gone largely unremarked and is now directly worth wickets.
What it means for Edgbaston and beyond
The win was England’s most dominant showing in a multi-Test series since December 2024, and Joe Root’s first series victory as captain since Sri Lanka in early 2021. Pakistan have not batted 50 overs in a single innings on this tour.
The caveats are real, and Agnew names them. Lord’s in late August, under grey skies, is close to ideal for a bowler of Robinson’s method. “The next question for Robinson is whether he can repeat this success on harder, flatter pitches, or in hot conditions which will test those fitness levels,” he said. Robinson’s fitness record is the reason his exile lasted as long as it did, and 27 overs in a match is a lighter load than an Ashes tour would demand.
The third Test at Edgbaston, with the series already won, is exactly the fixture England have historically used to rotate and experiment. Agnew’s advice is the opposite. “This, with Robinson as the leader, is England’s best attack. Stick with it in Birmingham and beyond.”
A bowler on 99 wickets, an attack that has taken 20 wickets twice in a fortnight, and a keeper standing up to the stumps like it is 1935. England’s selectors have a straightforward decision to make, and a strong argument for making none at all.
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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