Ollie Robinson's hopes of returning to the England Test setup have taken a massive blow as the pacer reportedly has issues with his back. Robinson pulled out of the four-day match for the County Select XI ahead of the New Zealand tour.
The right-arm tall fast bowler has played 9 Test matches so far, picking up 39 wickets with an average of 21.28. He was plagued with back issues during the Ashes series and missed all three Test matches against the West Indies in March.
Upon his return to the County setup, Robinson suffered numerous disruptions. He suffered from a tooth infection which delayed his first appearance in the 2022 County Championship. Moreover, he also had food poisoning, which hindered his appearance against Leicestershire.
England's fast bowlers are dealing with injuries. Saqib Mahmood, Jofra Archer and Matthew Fisher are already sidelined due to injuries. Robinson has now joined the injury list, creating issues for the newly appointed red-ball coach, Brendon McCullum.
The Kent-born bowler was one of the five Wisden's cricketers of the year and made his debut against New Zealand at Lord's last summer. He took 28 wickets with an average of 19 in the home season against New Zealand and India and became a permanent bowler in the red ball setup.
Middlesex's Ethan Bamber has been called up as a replacement but was not named in the playing XI.