England pacer Ollie Robinson is likely to be fully fit for the crucial encounter against Australia in Manchester. The right arm pacer suffered a back spasm during the third test in Headingley which forced him to be out of action for most of the game.
The 29-year-old was not his usual best in this series as he found himself in the media for all the wrong reasons during the 1st test. The England seamer has picked up ten wickets in the series so far in three games, as he could not trouble the high-quality batters at the top of the order in the series.
In his column for Wisden, Ollie Robinson has declared that he is 100 per cent fit for the game in Manchester and revealed that the back spasm might have happened due to the back-to-back games played before the game in a short period.
“That medical team said that it’s likely to have happened because I played back-to-back Test matches, and bowled 15 overs of bumpers at Lord’s,” Ollie Robinson said.
“So sometimes these things come around, but then they go just as quickly as well. I’m 100 per cent fit for Manchester,” he added.
Mark Wood and Chris Woakes played pivotal roles in their team’s comeback victory on the Headingley test in the absence of Ollie Robinson in the 2nd innings, as both bowled beautifully in both innings alongside veteran pacer Stuart Broad to keep the Ashes hopes alive in their home soil.
In The End, That’s Why We Play The Game… – Ollie Robinson
Ollie Robinson feels that it great honour to play the Ashes series against Australia, as many of their friends texted him about his injury and said that it great opportunity to play the sport for England and reckons that he is happy to have an impact on the happiness of his home crowd.
“I’ve got mates who have never really enjoyed cricket messaging me saying how good it is,” he stated.
“It’s an amazing thing to be a part of. It makes me proud to be English, to be honest, to see the impact it’s having on people, and to see them loving what we’re doing. In the end, that’s why we play the game. For the glory of it,” Ollie Robinson further added.
With just two Test matches remaining in the series, the hosts need to win both games to become just the second team, after Sir Don Bradman’s Australians, to come back and win an Ashes series after falling behind 2-0. England’s team will be looking to continue winning momentum, whereas Australia will look to make a comeback to seal the series in Manchester.