As he stood at second slip watching Ollie Robinson finesse a sublime seven-wicket haul with the splendour of Worcester Cathedral as a backdrop, Steve Smith could have been forgiven for invoking the spirit of WG Grace and muttering “they came to see me bat not you bowl”.
As it was, the Australian appeared to be very much enjoying his first day of this pre-Ashes tune-up with Sussex. Smith did not bat – his side reached 63 for one in reply to Worcestershire’s 264 all out when bad light brought an early close – but this was still a hugely informative outing.
How could it not have been? Robinson will be one of England’s central weapons this summer and though they have met previously on Australian soil, Smith was able to get a closer look at his subtle manipulation of the Dukes ball in home conditions and track his varied use of the crease. Not that Robinson, who clean bowled Smith in the nets at Hove earlier this week, is too fussed.
“I think it works both ways,” said Robinson, fresh from figures of seven for 59 and 17 overs of solid graft. “He’s obviously a very good player and I think he will score runs regardless of whether he faces me or not. We get a look at each other, but I don’t think it makes a big difference in the grand scheme of things.
“It’s been a bit surreal for me ... to have the world’s best batsman and [Cheteshwar] Pujara in the same changing room has been cool. I think it ups my game in training – it’s great to have them batting at the other end.”
Once the PA announcer had amusingly declared the rules of engagement at the toss – “no spitting, no biting and no swearing” – and Pujara called correctly, Robinson was simply a cut above the rest. His opening burst of seven overs, four for 30 was ruinous stuff, profiting from Ed Pollock’s loose drive, trapping Azhar Ali lbw, nicking off Jack Haynes with some extra bounce and then detonating Jake Libby’s middle stump.
Not for the first time at New Road this season a tricky start for the batting side – 44 for five – was followed by a fightback. Short boundaries – something England are said to have ordered for the Test grounds this summer – allowed the wiry Adam Hose to peel off an eye-catching 59, before aggressive half-centuries down the order from Matthew Waite (59 from 54 balls) and Joe Leach (53 from 53).
But Robinson’s fourth spell shut down proceedings, a cascade of three wickets in seven balls triggered when Waite was bowled by a bail-trimmer. Though he spent much of his time trying to keep his hands warm Smith was not entirely out of the action either, pouching a simple catch to remove Leach before Ben Gibbon, the No 11, was pinned in front for a simple lbw decision.
After watching his top order respond in confident fashion, Robinson put his own performance down as “80%” with a view to peaking in time for the Ireland Test that starts on 1 June. The 29-year-old has recently had a painkilling injection in his lower back but insisted alarm bells should not be ringing.
“It was similar to the one I had last year,” said Robinson, who missed the first half of the 2022 season. “I was just getting a little bit of soreness. I didn’t have a spasm, just the joint was getting slightly irritated. I wanted to get on top of it before the Ashes and it feels really good now.”
The plan for Robinson is to play these next three fixtures for Sussex, the same stint that Smith has signed up for. By the time they face off at Edgbaston on 16 June, familiarity will be a given.
