When England locks horns with Australia in the five-match Ashes series, their batting unit will surely be in focus. Ben Stokes’ men, under the inspirational coaching of Brendon McCullum, have transformed Test cricket with ultra-aggressive batting that has been fondly named as ‘Bazball’. Therefore, the English batters will hog the limelight but to win a series, the bowlers need to play a crucial role as well.
In the same vein, former England captain, Nasser Hussain, mentioned pacer Ollie Robinson as one of the players to watch out for. Hussain praised the 29-year-old for his impeccable accuracy and the ability to take wickets under different conditions.
“If you look at any cricket Ollie Robinson has played, it has been phenomenal,” Hussain told the ICC. “His County stats, his international stats, home, away, Dukes ball, Kookaburra ball. He just takes wickets for fun.
“If he’s fit, keep an eye on Ollie Robinson. He has really burst on the scene. Doesn’t go for many runs, is accurate, and bowls a good length for England.”
The Kent-born seamer has so far picked up 66 wickets in just 16 Tests, at an average of 21.27. He missed the Ireland Test owing to an injury but has been named in England’s XI for the opening Test.
‘It’s just part of the build-up’ – Nasser Hussain analyzes the bold predictions made by Ollie Robinson about the Ashes
Ollie Robinson sounded confident when he said in March that England could dominate the forthcoming Ashes. Hussain, however, believes that those were just part of the build-up to the series, as the real battle begins on the ground.
“It’s just part of the build-up,” Hussain said. “The battle doesn’t start until that first ball goes down really.
“Predictions and banter, and to and fro chat you may talk the talk, but make sure you go out there and walk the walk is basically the principle in Ashes battle.”
The first Ashes Test is being played at Edgbaston and Australia defeated England by 251 runs the last time these two sides met at the venue in 2019.