After dropping captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson from the squad for the second Test against New Zealand due to disciplinary issues, England have been dealt another blow as Ollie Robinson has been ruled out of the Oval Test.
Robinson, who made a return to Test cricket after two years, felt soreness in his knee while training at Hove and would be undergoing scans for it. A report in ESPNCricinfo claimed that Robinson won’t be risked to feature in the second Test, which gets underway from June 19. He can be declared fit for the third and final Test match of the series at Trent Bridge, which gets underway on June 25.ย
England added cover for Robinson
Meanwhile, England had added Robinson’s Sussex team-mate Henry Crocombe as his cover. Crocombe has not played an international but has been a regular in the England Lions teams. He has 106 wickets in 48 matches in First-class cricket, having taken one five-wicket haul and eight four-fers. The 24-year-old has 21 wickets in Division One at an average of 28.61.
Who can replace Robinson?
Robinson’s blow leaves England in more trouble. They are already without their captain, Stokes and Atkinson after the duo were axed due to their nightclub incident. The Three Lions have Jofra Archer back in the squad after his IPL duties and have reinstated Joe Root as interim captain, but would now need to scratch their heads for Robinson’s replacement.
Robinson made a sensational comeback in Test cricket with a career-best match haul of 7/77. He had taken a six-wicket haul in the first innings, as Atkinson later took a five-wicket haul in the second innings.ย The Three Lions will have to go to Matthew Fisher or Sonny Baker as the third seam option after Archer and Josh Tongue. They can also pick Robinson’s cover, Crocombe.
Stokes’ future with England in doubt
Stokes’ future as the England captain and a player is in major doubt after the nightclub incident, where he and Atkinson broke the team curfew and went to a nightclub in Chelsea. They were involved in an argument with Saracens rugby player Totoa Auvaa, who tried landing a punch to Atkinson but the security staff was struck. The England and Wales Cricket Board is investigating the incident.
Englandโs director of cricket, Rob Key, has refused to guarantee Ben Stokesโ future as the Test captain. Although Key dismissed suggestions that the all-rounder was considering stepping away from international cricket, he offered no assurances about who will lead the team once the investigation concludes.
“He has not intimated that to me,โ Key said about Stokesโ possible decision to resign. โI don’t see why not. There are a lot of things to happen before then. We’ve got to run the investigation, find out what happened exactly. We’re in the midst of that at the moment. No decisions will be made until after that. We just have to let this play out. No decisions have been made on our side,โ he added.
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