Ollie Robinson, on top form, is a "world-class" fast bowler with statistics that stand up among the best of all time, according to England Men's managing director, Rob Key, after Sussex's captain was called in from the cold for next month's first Test against New Zealand at Lord's.
Robinson, 32, was one of several notable inclusions in an expanded 15-man squad for England's first Test since their 4-1 loss in the winter's Ashes. His recall comes more than two years after his previous Test, against India in Ranchi, in which he suffered a back spasm while scoring a first-innings fifty and ended up bowling 13 wicketless overs in the entire match, at a pace that dipped below 70mph.
It was the culmination of a frustrating run of mid-match injuries for Robinson, who had been called out by Jon Lewis during the 2021-22 Ashes for his sub-par fitness. In spite of this, however, he still claimed 76 wickets in 20 Tests at 22.92, and to judge by the success of skills-based seamers during the Ashes, most notably Scott Boland and Michael Neser, his presence in Australia could have been a huge asset to the squad.
"We've been pretty transparent with Ollie, when we left him out the last time, both to him and publicly," Key told reporters after the squad announcement. "Ollie Robinson, when he's fit and bowling at a decent pace for him, which is around 82-83 mph, he is world-class. When you look at his record, he is one of the few bowlers right up there statistically, in all the bowlers globally, of all time."
Though Robinson's omission from the Ashes squad last September raised few eyebrows at the time, he responded a week later by claiming 11 wickets in Sussex's final Championship fixture of the summer, against Worcestershire. Since then, he has been appointed as club captain, and has revelled in the responsibility, guiding his team to three wins in five games, while claiming a five-wicket haul in his first outing of the summer against Leicestershire, and chipping in with the second first-class century of his career, against Surrey at the Kia Oval.
Speaking last week, Robinson said that he had been encouraged by Brendon McCullum, England's head coach, to push for a Test recall, and Key confirmed that the dialogue had been a two-way street.
"We've monitored him a lot," Key said. "It's been a great move from Paul Farbrace to make him captain, that's got the best out of him. He looks like he's back up to his full fitness, and that's what we required of him.
"We've spoken to him a lot throughout the start of this summer. He's constantly been messaging as well. Even the other day, he said, 'What do I need to do to impress?' Well, you need to show that you can maintain your skill, your speed throughout the game. That's what we require, and that's what he's done."
In addition to the fitness issues that overshadowed his previous England stint, Robinson's off-field activities had reportedly concerned the team management, including some unguarded comments that he had made on a podcast with his now-wife, Mia Baker, with whom he is expecting a child this summer.
Key, however, played down the suggestion that a clash of personalities had contributed to his exclusion from the Test team for the past two years, and said in fact, the more abrasive aspect of Robinson's character, which had previously been seen in his willingness to get stuck into his opponents on the field, would be a useful characteristic to restore to the team.
"No, I don't think Ollie actually has ever been a problem in our set-up," Key said. "Ollie's not someone who's disruptive. You just want to be able to know what you're going to get. We don't want people that all just do whatever you say all the time. You want good characters who have real self-belief, which is what Ollie has, along with a huge amount of skill."
His status as one of England's new-ball bowlers this summer would appear to be set in stone already, although Key acknowledged that Ben Stokes - who produced a fiery display on his return from injury for Durham against Worcestershire last week - could conceivably come into the reckoning in a revised role.
"There's a chance that Ben could take the new ball, or Ben could come on pretty soon," Key said, after Stokes emerged from the Ashes as one of England's leading performers with the ball, claiming 15 wickets at 25.13, including a five-wicket haul in the first Test at Perth.
"I often feel that Ben sometimes doesn't bowl himself soon enough," Key added. "Ben is one of our best swing bowlers, and he's got his inswinger back as well, from what I watched the other day when he was playing for Durham.
"Generally, the ball is going to swing after the lacquer has gone off in the first 10-15 overs. So there's a chance he could take the new ball, there's a chance Josh Tongue could take the new ball as well, but it'd be good to have Ben coming on sooner than what he has done in the past."
Key also talked up the credentials of Sonny Baker, who has been included in the Test squad for the first time despite two difficult outings for the ODI and T20I teams last summer. "It's so exciting the way he's gone about it," Key said. "This year he's gone up another level again. We think he can bowl with the new ball, he has that high-pace option."
Sam Cook, however, remains on the outside looking in, despite a haul of 21 wickets at 20.66 for Essex this season that suggests a return to his best after his one-off appearance against Zimbabwe last summer.
"I spoke to Sam earlier, and it's one of those hard conversations to have," Key said, "because there's not much more you can say to someone who's bowling well, and getting wickets. Unfortunately for Sam, it's just keep doing what you're doing."