Ollie Robinson has doubled down on his pre-Ashes bullishness with predictions of a ‘comfortable win’ over the Aussies this summer.
And Robinson is ready to show the oldest enemy just how much he has improved since his first foray into Ashes battle two winters ago. Since his comical dismissal ended a 4-0 drubbing, Robinson has become a mainstay of the England attack with his highly skilled bowling now matched with improved physical quality.
And after 10 wins in their last 12 Tests, the 29-year-old was happy to reaffirm his hope that England give the Aussies a ‘good hiding’ by indulging in a little fighting talk at Hove ahead of his first games this summer for Sussex.
“I was talking to local radio but I was happy that it got out,” said Robinson. “I mean it’s been happening in every Ashes series for years – Glenn McGrath says 5-0 every Ashes. It’s one of the biggest series we play so why not talk it up?
“Get it going, get it big and give the fans what they want. I think the cricket we’re playing at the moment makes it such an exciting time to play them. We’ve been dominating teams in all conditions for 12 months now.
“In England we dominated, in Pakistan we dominated and in New Zealand we played most of the cricket for those nine days and lost on the last day because we probably weren’t quite there. But I think the way we’re playing cricket at the moment we feel like we can really stick one on them and win the series comfortably.
“There’s a desire there still, a hunger to put it right from the last Ashes. I felt when I got back from that trip I didn’t leave it all out there and I’d let myself down and the side down a little bit.
“So it’s definitely something I want to put right and there’s a few fellas in that position as well. So there’s a lot of hungry boys this summer to beat the Aussies again.”
Robinson will get an early look at one of the Aussies too when Steve Smith links up with him at Sussex for up to three Championship matches before the Ashes starts. Any worries about Smith enjoying some intel on Robinson, cuts both ways with the fast bowler ready to take what he can from the partnership too.
After all he bowled plenty to Cheteshwar Pujara, their new championship skipper, last summer in the nets and then England beat India in their Test clash at Edgbaston. Robinson added: “It will be good to have Steve here.
“Obviously for county cricket it’s great to have Steve Smith at Sussex and I think for myself it’s not going to change a huge amount. I’m still going to prepare the same way and have a bit of a look at him in the nets but it won’t change a huge amount really.
“I might not bowl at him to be honest. We’ll see how it goes. But we had Pujara here last summer and we played India and I bowled at him a lot. I don’t read too much into it. He’s a good player, he’s going to get runs whether I bowl at him here or not. It’s one of those things.”
