England vs Pakistan: How Ollie Robinson & Will Jacks impressed England
England’s win in the first Test against Pakistan at Rawalpindi was impressive for two reasons. For one, the road of a pitch they were served up in Rawalpindi made a result seem unlikely at one point
England’s new squad members were impressive against Pakistan.And for the other, the win was set up by two of England’s newer squad members – Will Jacks and Ollie Robinson.
For Jacks, the occasion was doubly special because it was his Test debut for England, and he proved his worth as a handy spin-bowling all-rounder.
This was especially true during the first innings when he was bowling. Pakistan had gotten themselves back into a unique position as tons from Abdullah Shafique, Imam-ul-Haq, and Babar Azam saw them come closer to England’s target.
But Jacks got two critical wickets as he dismissed Shafique and Babar before quickly running through their lower order.
This had two effects: it ensured that Pakistan would not overhaul England’s first innings total despite their best effort and cemented Jacks’ utility in the playing XI.
He was less effective in the second innings, as by that point, it was less about spinners getting any assistance and more about reverse swing wreaking havoc on the Pakistan batting line-up.
But in both innings with the bat, Jacks made two small but valuable contributions – he scored a run a ball 30 in the first innings and a quickfire 24 in the second.
That second knock was crucial in many ways, adding a few extra quick runs to the total. But it was also vital because of how he achieved it.
Of those 24 runs, 18 came in sixes, and there was one more boundary along with that. He was batting at a strike rate of 184.61 when dismissed. Remember, this is a Test match!
Yet if Jacks wasn’t much in the game during the second innings, the same could not be said about Robinson, whose early inroads helped set the game up for England.
Everyone remembers James Anderson running through Pakistan’s lower order with some vintage Jimmy reverse swing. But the game was set up for such a finale by Robinson.
He got the key wickets of Shafique, Azhar Ali, Saud Shakeel, and Agha Salman, which made things much easier for Anderson after that.
The fact that Robinson could form a solid new-ball partnership with Anderson in Asian conditions was also a positive sign for England.
And it was also a massive plus for Robinson, who made his debut for England in 2021 but missed out on a bit of cricket action when old tweets of his resurfaced and ended up copping him a fine and a ban.
Robinson was profuse in his apology and, having served his time, is back like he never left. Given that neither Anderson nor Broad is getting any younger, it is suitable for England to have someone like Robinson around for the red ball team.
He does not need time or grooming; he proved that he’s ready for a more prominent role here. And that bodes well for England both in the short and long term.