Ollie Robinson Breaks 149-Year England Record During First Test Against New Zealand

Ollie Robinson made his comeback in England’s Test team in spectacular fashion, producing a dream spell on the opening day of the first Test against New Zealand at Lord’s. Playing his first Test match in more than two years, the fast bowler struck three times in his very first over and finished the day with four wickets.

Robinson was handed the ball for the second over of New Zealand’s first innings and wasted no time making an impact. On the third delivery of the over, he trapped Devon Conway lbw to claim his first wicket of the match.

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Things got even better two balls later when he dismissed Kane Williamson for a duck. The former New Zealand captain edged the ball to debutant Emilio Gay, who completed the catch.

Robinson then completed a remarkable over by removing Rachin Ravindra on the final ball. Like Conway, Ravindra was trapped in front of the stumps, giving the England pacer three wickets in a single over.

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The incredible spell earned Robinson a unique place in Test cricket history. He became the first England bowler in the 149-year history of Test cricket to take three wickets in his first over of an innings.

While several bowlers from other countries have achieved the feat before, no England player had managed it until Robinson’s stunning effort at Lord’s.

The world record for taking three wickets in the first over of a Test innings belongs to former Sri Lanka fast bowler Nuwan Zoysa. During a Test match against Zimbabwe in Harare in 1999, Zoysa dismissed three batters in his first three deliveries.

Former India all-rounder Irfan Pathan later matched the achievement in memorable fashion during the 2006 Karachi Test against Pakistan. Pathan claimed a hat-trick in the opening over by dismissing Salman Butt, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf in consecutive deliveries.

Apart from Zoysa, Pathan and Robinson, only four other bowlers have taken three wickets in their first over of a Test innings: New Zealand legend Daniel Vettori, Pakistan’s Haris Sohail, and Australian pacers Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland.