Ollie Robinson has revealed that England head coach Brendon McCullum has been in contact as the Sussex seamer sets his sights on a return to Test cricket. The 32-year-old has been out of favour internationally since the tour of India at the start of 2024, following reported fitness issues and suggestions of a falling out with McCullum and captain Ben Stokes.
Impressive Test record
Despite his absence, Robinson boasts an excellent Test record with 76 wickets at an average of 23. He could be in contention for a recall as England seek new-ball options for the upcoming three-match series against New Zealand, starting on Thursday 4 June at Lord's.
Captaincy and workload management
Now skippering Sussex after his elevation to the red-ball captaincy, Robinson has managed his workload carefully with the county short on seam depth this season. He recently slammed a superb hundred with the bat from number 10 on the opening day of the County Championship defeat to Surrey.
Messages from McCullum and Key
After that game, Robinson disclosed that McCullum had texted him ahead of the start of the season, followed by discussions with Rob Key, managing director of men's cricket at the ECB. "It was nice to get those messages and calls from Keysy because at the start of the year, when I wanted to take the captaincy on, I didn't realise the door was still open, I thought it was closed," Robinson admitted. "Those messages spurred me on. I have never had any issues with England. I love Stokesy as a guy, I really enjoyed Baz when I played under him."
"A few things went on in India, but I don't know what they really were. We never ironed anything out if there were big issues, but to get the message from Baz and calls from Keysy suggests whatever it was has been left behind, the door is open and I just need to perform to get back in. I think that is a really nice thing as a player to have. It is nice to know performances can get me back in rather than anything else," he added.
England's seam options
Josh Tongue and Gus Atkinson appear likely to form part of England's seam attack for the first Test against New Zealand. Jofra Archer is currently featuring in the Indian Premier League and could feature at some stage in the series. Brydon Carse is working his way back from a hand injury, while fellow Durham quick Mark Wood is making tentative strides towards a return after a knee issue curtailed his Ashes campaign.
England struggled for new-ball accuracy and penetration in Australia. Essex's Sam Cook made his Test debut against Zimbabwe last summer and could contend, while Olly Stone has been in good form for Nottinghamshire in recent weeks. Meanwhile, Ben Stokes is set to make his return to action for Durham at Worcestershire on Friday.
