"One of his biggest assets is bounce" - Nasser Hussain backs Ollie Robinson to play a major role in the Ashes
Former England captain Nasser Hussain has earmarked Ollie Robinson to play a significant role in the Ashes series. England and Australia will begin their Ashes campaign on December 8 this year at the Gabba. Hussain believes Robinson's biggest plus point is the bounce he generates.
Ollie Robinson has enjoyed a bright start to his Test career. The 27-year old picked seven wickets on debut against New Zealand and took his maiden fifer against India in Nottingham. Robinson, into the third Test of the series, already has 12 scalps at 23.33.
Writing in his column for the Daily Mail, Nasser Hussain pointed to Ollie Robinson's exploits for Sussex in the last two years, saying he is different from most in county cricket. The young pacer's debut at Lord's also impressed the cricketer-turned-commentator.
"You only have to look at his figures at Sussex over the last couple of years to know he was something out of the ordinary in county cricket. They have been phenomenal and Hove is not the most helpful of wickets for seamers. Then, when I saw him play in that fateful game at Lord’s earlier this year when his debut against New Zealand was overshadowed by the controversy over historic offensive tweets, I felt he looked an outstanding prospect."
Nasser Hussain went on to note that Robinson has exceptional control with the ball and combines it with good pace. The 53-year old also stated the pacer has an excellent outswinger and that the seamer's inswinger troubled Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara in the third Test against India.
But Hussain claimed his extra bounce was disadvantageous on Day Three at Headingley, Leeds, as the ball kept going over the stumps.
"Robinson does plenty with the ball, has an exceptional control of line and is quick enough at this level. He swings the ball away and has a deceptive inswinger that drifts into the batsman and saw him trouble Rohit Sharma and Cheteshwar Pujara’s pads on Friday. One of his biggest assets is bounce but, if anything, he got too much of it on this third day because he was bowling a good length only to see the ball going over the stumps."
Ollie Robinson's biggest challenge will be the fitness side of Test cricket: Nasser Hussain
On the positive side, Hussain highlighted that the extra bounce should be a massive asset in Australia. The former England skipper added that Robinson's successful tour Down Under with the Lions should keep him in good stead. Simultaneously, Hussain reminded the England management to keep the 27-year old's workload in check. Nasser believes three consecutive Tests can take a toll on any player both mentally and physically.
"But these are assets that look perfect for Australia, where he has already had a successful Lions tour, and Robinson can already look forward to a big role in the Ashes. Robinson has also got some runs in him and is a feisty character who enjoys a battle which is exactly what a captain wants against the best opposition. His biggest challenge will be the fitness side of Test cricket and he won’t have been used to how much three Tests in quick succession take out of you physically and mentally."
England will face a daunting challenge in Australia, where they have not won a Test since 2011. The Three Lions' last two visits ended in 5-0 and 4-0 series defeats respectively. Australia currently hold the urn, which they retained on English soil in 2019.