Bullish Robinson predicts comfortable Ashes win for England

Published
0
England’s Ollie Robinson celebrates after taking the wicket of South Africa’s Khaya Zondo during the third  test match between England and South Africa at The Oval, London, Britain on Sept 11, 2022. — Reuters
England’s Ollie Robinson celebrates after taking the wicket of South Africa’s Khaya Zondo during the third test match between England and South Africa at The Oval, London, Britain on Sept 11, 2022. — Reuters

LONDON: England’s resurgent Test team can win the Ashes “comfortably” on home soil this year and make up for their 4-0 drubbing in Australia in the last series, fast bowler Ollie Robinson said.

Coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes have led England to 10 wins in 12 Tests since taking over early last year on the back of an aggressive style of play dubbed “Bazball”.

With England enjoying such a strong run of form, Robinson saw no reason why they should not feel confident about winning the Ashes for the first time since 2015 when the series begins on June 16 at Edgbaston.

“The way we’re playing cricket at the moment, we feel like we can really stick one on them and win the series comfortably,” he told British media on Wednesday. “There’s definitely a desire there still, a hunger to put it right.

“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,” said Robinson. “There’s a lot of hungry boys this summer wanting to beat the Aussies again ... It’s one of the biggest series we play, so why not talk it up?”

England’s radical rebrand has yielded results both at home and abroad as they blanked New Zealand 3-0, beat South Africa 2-1 and completed a 3-0 sweep in Pakistan. They lost their last Test by one run against New Zealand in Wellington in February.

“We’ve been dominating teams in all conditions for 12 months now,” Robinson said. “In England we dominated, in Pakistan we dominated, and in New Zealand we played most of the cricket for nine days and lost on the last day.

“With Baz and Stokesy leading the side, from one to 11 we have huge confidence and it puts us in a great position for the summer.”

Published in Dawn, March 31st, 2023

Opinion

Editorial

Electoral reform
Updated 04 Nov, 2026

Electoral reform

The real problem is the gulf between the statute book and what happens on polling day, not the laws.
Competing demands
04 Nov, 2026

Competing demands

THE climate crisis is becoming harder to confront as the world develops new ways to consume scarce resources. At an...
Belated meeting
Updated 04 Nov, 2026

Belated meeting

Whether it is Imran Khan, his family members, or other incarcerated political leaders and activists, the state should not deny them their rights.
An opening
Updated 03 Nov, 2026

An opening

If this brief opportunity for peace is wasted, sparking a wider conflict, the blame will rest squarely with the US president and the bloodthirsty Zionist regime.
Pakistan’s G-24 role
03 Nov, 2026

Pakistan’s G-24 role

PAKISTAN’S new role as chair of G-24 comes at a crucial moment for the Global South. Developing nations are...
Learning from polio
03 Nov, 2026

Learning from polio

THE eighth polio case of 2026, involving a 13-month-old girl from Khyber’s Bara tehsil, raises an important...