England receive a fitness boost on Ollie Robinson
England receive a fitness boost on Ollie Robinson after a scan on bowler’s ankle reveals NO damage ahead of next week’s Ireland Test and the Ashes
- Ollie Robinson limped out of Sussex’s match against Glamorgan with an injury
- However, a scan showed that there was no damage to Robinson’s left ankle
- It is a huge boost for England ahead of the Ashes getting underway next month
England received an Ashes boost today when Ollie Robinson was declared fit after an ankle scare.
It looked as though Robinson would add to England’s worrying injury list when he hobbled out of Sussex’s match against Glamorgan and was later seen on crutches and with a protective boot over his left ankle.
But Sussex were always optimistic that the issue was not serious and ECB confirmed this morning there is no damage to the joint and Robinson will be fit to join England’s squad at Lord’s next week for the Ashes warm-up Test against Ireland.
In a statement, they said: ‘Sussex and England seamer Ollie Robinson had a scan on Monday to determine the extent of some discomfort in his left ankle after playing for Sussex in the LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two match against Glamorgan at Hove last week.
‘Scan results have revealed no damage to the ankle and that Robinson will join up with the England Men’s Test squad this weekend ahead of the LV= Insurance Test match against Ireland starting on Thursday 1 June at Lord’s.’
England received an Ashes boost when Ollie Robinson was declared fit after an ankle scare
It is a boost for England after he was seen on crutches and with a protective boot on his ankle
It is a huge relief to England, who have already seen Jofra Archer ruled out of the entire Ashes series and Olly Stone for at least the first two Tests. They also lost fringe bowler Brydon Carse while Jimmy Anderson is nursing a minor groin injury.
The last thing England needed was to lose Robinson, who has become one of their most important bowlers and has made an outstanding start to the season, taking 14 wickets in the Championship match against Worcestershire and pinning Marnus Labuschagne lbw with the first ball he bowled at him in Sussex’s latest match against Glamorgan.
In the three matches he has played for Sussex this season, the 29-year-old has taken 20 wickets at just 13 each.
However, Mail Sport understands Robinson is unlikely to play against Ireland as England plan to wrap him up in cotton wool ahead of the Ashes.
Now England are waiting to see how their captain and talisman Ben Stokes is shaping up after missing the bulk of his spell in the IPL with Chennai with a toe injury and still nursing the knee problem that has so restricted his bowling.
Stokes is adamant he will be fit enough to fulfil an all-round role against Ireland and in the Ashes, which start at Edgbaston on June 16, giving England their all-important balance.
Robinson has been a revelation ever since breaking into the England team in 2021, picking up 66 wickets at an average of 21.27.
Having struggled with fitness problems at times, he has been a different beast over the past year and showed incredible quality and durability to help drive England onto a 3-0 series win in Pakistan at the end of 2022.
Robinson’s fitness is a big relief for England after Jofra Archer (left) was ruled out of the whole summer with an elbow injury, while Jimmy Anderson (right) is nursing a minor groin strain
Robinson dismissed Marnus Labuschagne lbw with the first ball he bowled at him last week
Robinson took nine wickets at an average of 21.22 on some incredibly flat pitches and showed how integral he is to Stokes’s England side.
He will now join up with the England squad ahead of next Thursday’s one-off Test with Ireland.
Meanwhile, Australia’s squad will begin to come together with several of their players – like England’s – finishing off commitments in the IPL, while others like Steve Smith have just concluded stints with English counties.
They face India in the World Test Championship final on June 7, before the Ashes commences at Edgbaston on June 16.
Source: Read Full Article