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The England vs New Zealand second Test is set to begin on Wednesday, following a prolonged controversy surrounding the England national cricket team which saw their captain Ben Stokes and fast bowler Gus Atkinson suspended following an off-the-field incident. Now he has suffered another blow, Ollie Robinson will not be able to play in the second Test of England.
This will be a big miss for the Three Lions as Ollie Robinson was their best bowler in the first Test at Lord’s. He is suffering from “knee pain” after a training session on Friday. Ollie Robinson returned to the team for the first time in two years and took seven wickets in the first Test.
Henry Crocombe will replace Ollie Robinson for the second Test
Henry Crocombe was called into the squad for the second Test in place of his Sussex partner Robinson. According to ESPNcricinfo, he will not be considered a risk for the match at the Oval starting on Wednesday. He remains in the squad and will be reviewed next week, but England are hopeful of a return to action at Trent Bridge with the third Test starting on June 25.
Previously, Ollie Robinson was banned in 2021 due to historical racist and sexist tweets posted between 2012 and 2014, when he was 18 to 20 years old. He was banned for eight matches and fined £3,200. However, the fast bowler has a long history of fitness records with England and despite a record of 76 wickets at 22.92, he was dropped after the 2023-24 tour of India.
Ollie Robinson’s injury crisis continues
His last appearance was in Ranchi; However, this was cut short due to a back injury sustained while batting, which left him unable to get any wickets in 13 overs with the ball. However, the fast bowler will be sorely missed by the home side, who will be looking to clinch the series after an impressive 115-run win in the first Test.
Crocombe has been a regular feature in recent Lions squads; However, he is yet to make his international debut. He has taken 21 Division One wickets at an average of 28.61 this season and took 4 for 65 in the Lions’ first unofficial Test against South Africa A earlier this month. Although he is in the team, he may not be likely to be called into the playing eleven immediately.
Jofra Archer is ready to lead the pace attack
After the Lord’s win, head coach Brendon McCullum said, “There is some exciting talent: [Henry] Crocombe, Nav Sharma, Eddie Jack. All these people are in the system and have been identified.
“Now, we just have to make sure that we are enhancing their skills so that if the opportunity arises in the coming years, they are ready to come forward and perform. It’s a good place to be when you have a range of fast bowlers that you can call upon.”
Jofra Archer will lead the pace attack as the experienced fast bowler missed the first game of the Tata Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 due to workload management. Apart from Archer, Josh Tong, Matt Fisher and Sonny Baker are the three fast bowlers who are in the team for the second Test match.
New Zealand vs England Test squad for the second match: Joe Root (captain), Rehan Ahmed, Jofra Archer, Sunny Baker, Shoaib Bashir, Jacob Bethel, Harry Brook, Jordan Cox, Ben Duckett, Matthew Fisher, Emilio Gay, James Reve, Henry Crocombe, Jamie Smith (wk), Josh Tongue.