Ollie Robinson was ridiculed and rejected – now England need him

HEADINGLEY — It was apt that on the first day of Joe Root’s second coming as England captain, it was Ollie Robinson, a man ridiculed during his first spell in the job, who led the charge against Pakistan. Now 32, Robinson is now in his third coming as an international bowler after doubts over his fitness and pace have seen him drift in and out of the team since his Test debut in the summer of 2021. Even on an opening day of this first Test against Pakistan at Leeds that saw him seal a fifth career five-wicket haul, there were gripes over his pace. Across his 18 overs he averaged 78.4 miles per hour, with the first ball of his final spell clocked at just 71mph. Yet at the end of a day that saw Robinson and Josh Tongue, who also took a five-fer, rout Pakistan for 171, the Sussex man’s Test a