Ollie Robinson has been told to work harder on his fitness after a back spasm forced him out of the England attack on the first day. Robinson confirmed his ability by dismissing the Australian pair of David Warner and Steve Smith for ducks in a high-class opening spell in Hobart, taking his series tally to 11 wickets at an average of 23.45 and making him England’s most impactful bowler on his first Ashes tour.

There are clear concerns within the camp about his physical conditioning, however, after the 28-year-old sat out the fourth Test with a sore shoulder and suffered pain in his back after just eight overs in Hobart.

England’s bowling coach Jon Lewis spoke for the camp at the end of the day and came prepared with a message for Robinson. “He’s going to have to learn to look after himself probably better than he does at the moment,” he said.

“It’s definitely something to work on and it’s something he needs to improve. He’s got a record of playing a lot of games in county cricket but international cricket is a higher intensity and you play all year round. He’s got to get used to understanding what it takes to be a full-time year-round international cricketer.

“We’re working on it with him. It’s something he will need if he’s going to perform consistently over a long period of time at this level. We’ve been pretty frank with him and now it’s up to him to do the work.” PA Media

Source: The Guardian

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