England paceman Ollie Robinson set a Test cricket record by becoming the first English bowler to take three wickets in the opening over of an innings, helping New Zealand struggle to 61/6 on the dramatic opening day of the first Test at Lord’s on Thursday.Robinson, playing his first Test since February 2024, ended the day with figures of 4/10 in six overs as New Zealand ended the day still behind England’s first innings total of 140 runs.The conditions favored the fast bowlers a lot throughout the day. There was no spin bowling.England’s batting line-up had been reduced to 140 in the first 39.4 overs, but Robinson turned the game around soon after taking the new ball.With the third, fifth and sixth balls of his spell, Robinson dismissed Dion Conway, Kane Williamson and Rachin Ravindra. Conway goes LBW, Williamson caught at short leg and Ravindra also out LBW. “It feels a bit surreal, I couldn’t even dream of coming back,” Robinson told broadcaster Sky Sports. “It was so loud. I was a little dizzy and just trying to focus. The crowd was amazing, it’s one of the loudest I’ve heard here.”The performance capped a remarkable comeback for the Sussex captain. Around Christmas, Robinson believed his England career was over. He was dropped in 2024 due to fitness and attitude concerns, despite taking 76 wickets in 20 Tests.After England’s 4–1 Ashes defeat in Australia, head coach Brendon McCullum contacted Robinson at the start of the season and told him he was back in contention. Robinson responded with 18 wickets in the ongoing County Championship.With Jofra Archer and Bryden Carrs unavailable for the opening Test, Robinson was handed the new ball and delivered immediately.“I was at a place where I never thought I would play for England again,” he said. “Getting the text from Baz (McCollum) changed my mindset. To come back into the team, I knew the history of the first day of the Test and there was a lot of work. I tried my best to come back to where I am today. I know there is a lot of work ahead.”At stumps, Robinson bowled six overs, including three maidens, to help keep England in check.His feat also places him with a small group of bowlers in Test history who have taken three wickets in the first over of an innings, reports News18. Only six players had achieved the milestone before Robinson, but no England bowler had done so.The first player to achieve this feat was former Sri Lankan fast bowler Nuwan Zoisa against Zimbabwe in Harare in 1999.Former Indian all-rounder Irfan Pathan faced it against Pakistan in Karachi in 2006, dismissing Salman Butt, Younis Khan and Mohammad Yousuf in the opening over.Daniel Vettori, Haris Sohail, Mitchell Starc and Scott Boland are among the other bowlers who took three wickets in the first over of the Test innings.
