Ollie Robinson recall surprises former England fast bowler Stuart Broad

When Robinson was recalled, England director of cricket Rob Key said he was “back to full fitness”.

“When you look at his record, statistically he is one of the top-ranked bowlers of all-time,” added Key.

Robinson started the season well with Sussex, captaining the team to three of their six matches in the County Championship and taking 18 wickets at 26.27.

But Broad, who took 604 Test wickets, said he wondered why Robinson, who had seemingly fallen out of favor with head coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes, had been recalled.

“I’d like to know what the comeback was; did he suddenly improve his fitness or did he improve his attitude because he was never left out for his performance,” Broad said.

“Those guys never said that to me, I thought McCullum and Stokes had lost faith and confidence and that was the end of it.

“I guess it’s a case of who else gets the new ball? The new ball bowling was terrible in the Ashes and they need a new ball bowler.

“There is no doubt that Ollie is the best new-ball bowler available in England at the moment. He has an incredible ability to make the new ball talk and bounce.

“Rob Key has said he is a world-class 82-83 mph bowler and the test for Robbo is whether he can maintain that 82-83 mph pace across three Tests and every spell without him shutting down or missing a session.

“When you get bowled out because of your character and attitude, not many bowlers get another chance.”