Not often do fans get to see a pace bowler bowling spin in a Test match, but ‘desperate times call for desperate measures’, and precisely was the case with England on Day 4 of the ongoing second Ashes Test against Australia at the Adelaide Oval.
It all happened when England skipper Joe Root had to leave the field after England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) informed that he was hit in the abdomen while batting in the first innings and will be assessed before he comes to the field.
With no frontline spinner in the match, Root was England’s only slow bowler as he bowled 20 overs in the first innings. But with his absence, right-arm pacer Ollie Robinson took the responsibility of bowling some slow off-breaks.
Arguably the logic behind Robinson throwing some offies in the middle was to keep the over-rate in control which has been a cause of concern for the visitors. Notably, England were docked eight World Test Championship (WTC) points, and 100 % of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate during the Ashes opener at Gabba.
Here is the video:
Robbie is actually a good spinner…#Ashes pic.twitter.com/IPnzQwK5iH
— Stone Cold (@StoneCo06301258) December 19, 2021
Robinson may have surprised a few, but he got the tick of approval from none other than Shane Warne. The legendary leg-spinner heaped praises on Robinson’s spin bowling display, stating that the Englishman bowled with great shape and seam position and generated good bounce along with the turn.
“He got some nice loop, didn’t bowl too fast and a little bit of turn,” Warne told Fox Cricket.
“Normally, you’ll see a part-timer that’s not used to it try and fire it in. But it’s nice to see Ollie Robinson giving it a little bit of a loop. It’s nice to have that versatility. We played with Colin Miller … you could give him the new rock with a bit of swing, then he’d turn to spin,” he added.
