Ollie Robinson confirmed as England’s wicketkeeping cover with Jordan Cox out and lack of keeping options in the side.
Ollie Robinson, the Durham wicketkeeper, has been called up for England’s Test tour of New Zealand to replace the injured Jordan Cox.
Ahead of the second day of England’s warm-up match against a Prime Minister’s XI in Queenstown, Cox suffered a fractured right thumb on Sunday, ruling him out of the tour.
With Jamie Smith on paternity leave for the remainder of the season. The uncapped Cox had been set up to take over. After that, Jacob Bethell received his first Test cap. Ollie Pope grabbed the gloves for the first Test, which began in Christchurch on Thursday.
Robinson, like Cox, started off at Kent before bringing his skills to Durham, where he has flourished. His five hundreds among 1,802 runs. All at an amazing strike rate of 86.22, have helped Durham earn promotion in 2023 and then stabilise as a Division One team this summer. Since relocating to the northeast, he has averaged 53 in the County Championship. In the past two seasons, he has also been dismissed 92 times behind the wickets.
Robinson will only reach Christchurch on Saturday. It will be the third day of the first Test. He had already started the process of renewing his passport when he was called up. Robinson, who turns 26 on Sunday, was unlikely to reach New Zealand in time for the first Test anyway. He had been a mainstay in the Lions lineup since 2019 and was scheduled to go on tour in Australia early the next year.
He will be considered right away for next Friday’s start of the second Test in Wellington. When England started looking for a new wicketkeeper at the beginning of the summer. Robinson was unfortunate to lose out to Smith. However, he may have a chance to prove himself in the next three weeks.
Bizarrely, he is the second player with the same name to win an England call-up in the last three years. He is no relation to the other Ollie Robinson. Interestingly though, both players were born in Kent and share a birthday, December 1.