OLIVER TWIST
Robinson: I learned a lot from Aussies but my sledging is better than theirs!
OLLIE ROBINSON is ready to help England regain the Ashes by putting into practice everything he has learnt from the Aussies – except the sledging.
That, he insists, will all be original witty material rather than borrowed lines from his time spent in
Australia playing
Grade cricket, where he says the chat was “horrendous”.
Just like another
England teammate, Stuart Broad, who cut his teeth in Grade cricket as a young lad too,
Robinson has all the physical attributes to do well in Australia.
But it is how the 28-year-old copes with everything else that will be more telling.
The Ashes begins in Brisbane on Wednesday and Broad loves the style of cricket Down Under. It appears Robinson is cut from the same cloth after being exposed to it first as a 13-year-old, bunking off from school in 2006, before playing there himself. Robinson said: “I watched Test matches here when I was 13. I ended up missing a couple of days either side of the Christmas holidays to make it a fiveweek trip, that was pretty special. I was lucky to be here.
“I remember thinking Freddie Flintoff just took it to the Aussies and, growing up, that’s what I wanted to do and how I wanted to play my cricket.
“It’s massively inspiring to watch that as a youngster and now trying to emulate him and others in this series.
“I don’t think I could keep my head down if I tried. I’m definitely going to be trying to get under their skin and try to sort of unsettle them as it were.
“If I can get them off their rhythm then we’re winning, so it’s something you’ll definitely see and hopefully we will come out on top.
“I haven’t really learned from them on that front, the Aussie chat is pretty horrendous, if I’m honest. I like to think I’ve got a bit more wit but I’m not going to give away my secrets.” Josh Hazlewood was not so guarded when Robinson came to play at the St George District Cricket Club and passed on a few pointers.
Robinson picked Hazlewood’s brains – and those of former Test bowler Trent Copeland. He reckons that advice, together with the experience gained from playing for the England Lions in their ‘Test’ win over Australia A in 2020, will help make this a successful trip Down Under.
“Hopefully, from one bowler to another, he won’t mind the advice he gave me too much,” added Robinson.
“When I came my second time at St George I spoke to him and Trent in depth about how they bowled in Australia.
“My height and bounce is going to be crucial out here when the ball is not moving, so I am going to have to use that, along with discipline, to take wickets and hold the run rate.”
Robinson’s ability to move the ball from a good height, just like Hazlewood, will be key if England are to enjoy success against the likes of Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne.
Funny sledges will be nothing more than a bonus.