Ollie Robinson reveals talks with England as Sussex seamer eyes Test return
Robinson has been out of favour since the tour of India in early 2024
Ollie Robinson has revealed that England head coach Brendon McCullum has been in touch as the Sussex seamer eyes a return to Test cricket. Robinson has been out of favour internationally since the tour of India at the start of 2024 after reported issues with fitness and suggestions of a falling out with McCullum and captain Ben Stokes. The 32-year-old, though, boasts an excellent Test record with 76 wickets at an average of 23, and could be in the frame for a recall to the squad with England seeking new-ball options for the upcoming three-match series against New Zealand.
Ollie Robinson has been out of favour since the 2024 tour to India (Getty) 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, but slammed a superb hundred with the bat from No 10 on the opening day of the County Championship defeat to Surrey. And after that game, Robinson revealed McCullum had texted him ahead of the start of the season, and subsequent 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 [Ben] Stokesy as a guy, I really enjoyed Baz [McCullum] 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.