ROOT IRKED BY OLLIE’S INJURY
Skipper is ‘frustrated’ after Robinson misses out again
JOE ROOT will have to bid for a series win without Ollie Robinson after the seamer failed to recover from a back spasm.
The news came as a bitter blow for both the bowler and the team, who had hoped he would lead the attack in Grenada today in the third and final Test.
He had seemingly made good progress with the medical staff in between the matches as he tried to prove his fitness, having missed the first two drawn Tests.
Robinson bowled several spells on the outfield during the lunch breaks in Barbados last time out and looked like he was moving without trouble.
But two days out from the final game here, he had a setback that has ruled him out of contention for the winner-takesall clash, which begs the question of whether the injury is something more serious.
England captain Root said: “Ollie trained yesterday but wasn’t as good as we would have liked or he was expecting. It’s just as frustrating for him as it is for me. He’s working very hard but there’s something that’s nagging away at him, and he’s just got to keep on doing what he’s doing and trust in time that he’s going to get himself back.
“We all know how effective he has been and how good he’s been in his short career up to now, so the sooner we can get him back the better.”
There was better news for fellow seamer Craig Overton, who is fully recovered from the illness that kept him out of the second Test at the 11th hour.
Overton joined Robinson in training at the ground in Grenada and came through with flying colours so is parachuted straight back into the team, at the expense of Matthew Fisher.
Root added: “Craig’s ready to play. Over a long period of time he’s been knocking the door down and has never let us down. “We’ll just have to assess everyone and make sure we’re ready to go, and
we’ve got an attack that’s potent and fit enough to get through the game, and produce some important spells when we require them.”
Root will be asking his players to empty the tank in Grenada on a pitch that is expected to have more pace and carry than the previous two surfaces.
And he is under no illusion just how significant a first victory of the winter, and a series triumph, would be in the Caribbean, a place where England have won just once in 54 years.
“A series win would mean a huge amount to the group and mean a huge amount to me,” said Root.
“Not many teams have done it and, off the back of a very difficult winter, I think it would be a great way to round things off. It would be a phenomenal achievement.”
IT IS every boy’s wildest dream to play in the World Cup finals.
Harry Kane, however, admits that once again FIFA’s questionable choice of Qatar as the host nation later this year has left him feeling “conflicted emotions” at best.
“Professionally, the World Cup is one of the greatest tournaments you could ever play in,” said the England captain ahead of Saturday’s friendly against Switzerland at Wembley.
“There is definitely that excitement of being there and experiencing that – 2018 was incredible for me and all the other players.
“But there are some issues that you cannot hide away from.
“Unfortunately, there are some conflicted emotions around it. I guess for me and our team we need to control what we need to control and make sure we do what we can to use our platform to help in any way we can.”
The message will be a strong one if it is delivered by some of the world’s best footballers, or failing that the finest players in England striker Kane’s contacts folder.
FIFA gave a global stage to Vladimir Putin when president Gianni Infantino was filmed doing keepy-uppies with the accused war criminal inside the Kremlin before the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
So why again has such a prestigious tournament been allowed to go to nation with a questionable standing on the world stage? “It’s a hard question
to answer if I am totally honest,” said Kane.
“As players, all we can do is look forward to an amazing tournament and hope that everything else around it, the issues around it, can be resolved as well as possible.
“We are not expecting everything to change overnight, these things take time.
“It’s a different culture, it’s a different religion so, as players, it’s a hard question to answer just yes or no.
“We just have to do what we can, and I feel we are going to do that and will do that from now until the World Cup.”
World football’s ruling body cannot just rely on the players, though, to make their greedy cash-driven decisions work. “I would like to think that FIFA are also doing everything possible too to help resolve some of the issues surrounding Qatar,” added Kane, with only the slightest giveaway look of doubt in his eyes.
“But it is a hard subject. I guess there is no right answer – you would have to talk to FIFA if that is possible. We are going to have to deal with it and cope with it.
“As professional athletes, more and more we have a voice and it is important that we use that.We are going to have to deal with it.
“The World Cup is going to be in Qatar in November and we are going to have to try to find that balance between preparing and working hard on the playing field and winning that World Cup.
“But also understanding that there are issues surrounding it that we can help in other ways.”