Ashes: Harmison questions if England’s withdrawls put Test cricket in danger

Former Test quick Steve Harmison has questioned whether mass withdrawals from this summer’s Ashes could be the beginning of the end of Test cricket.

Former Test quick Steve Harmison has questioned whether mass withdrawals from this summer’s Ashes could be the beginning of the end of Test cricket as England’s pleas for quarantine mercy hang in the balance.

English Cricket Board chief executive Tom Harrison said overnight at Lord’s every diplomatic measure possible was being used to ensure the five Test series in Australia would go ahead despite mounting calls to have it postponed.

Chris Silverwood and Joe Root chat during a training session. Picture: Adrian Dennis

But, significantly, although Harrison claimed “all the right conversations’’ were happening at government level in Australia, there is as yet no official confirmation the families of English players would be allowed in the country.

That is an imperative for many players given the exhausting annual schedule England is chained to and Harrison acknowledged as much when he said England would stand by its “people first’’ policy.

England fears their squad for the proposed five Test series starting in December will be weakened by a string of big name withdrawals and towering quick Harmison said if that is the case the wider game could be severely damaged.

“Test cricket is hanging by a thread with so many white ball competitions up and about,’’ Harmison said on Talksport’s Following On podcast.

“If you send 16 single guys over to Australia and it is not the spectacle you expect from the Ashes is that the beginning of the end for Test match cricket?’’

England was initially concerned their families might not be admitted to Australia but former captain Michael Vaughan said the fears had widened to players having major reservations about their wives and children having to spend two weeks in quarantine once they landed.

Fast bowling star Jofra Archer is already out of the tour and Harmison believes dynamic all-rounder Ben Stokes, having an indefinite break from the game due to the twin stresses of bubble life and a nagging finger injury, is highly unlikely to tour.

“I think there will be withdrawals and I think they will be big names. Jos Buttler has a baby on the way. I cannot see Ben Stokes being involved with what he is going through now.

“With Ben his family are the Shield around him at the moment to get through the next phase of his life. To have that taken away for three months to tour Australia, I cannot see that happening.

“I think a lot of the biggest hitters in England cricket will come out of the squad.’’

English players have felt Australia’s quarantine laws are over the top and this sentiment would only have been enhanced by the South Australian government’s decision to place returning Olympians in “double’’ quarantine for a month then ban the Australian cricket side from training during their quarantine period in Adelaide.

Why Poms just might have a gem

During the last away Ashes four years ago, at the Langham hotel in Melbourne, Ollie Robinson was having Christmas lunch with the England team. He was there with his partner Lauren and mother Sandra, because his stepfather, Paul Farbrace, was then an assistant coach to Trevor Bayliss with England.

Robinson was spending a second winter in Australia, first at Sydney Cricket Club and then at St George, the club that produced Australia’s fast bowler, Josh Hazlewood, who presented Robinson with his club cap on debut.

This winter, with Farbrace the director of cricket at Warwickshire, Robinson, 27, will be in Australia in a different capacity. For while there may be some uncertainty about the presence of families for the Ashes (Robinson and Lauren had a baby girl, Sienna, last September), there is one certainty about the tour party: if Robinson is fit, he will be in it.

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Ollie Robinson was a shining light for the Poms in the first Test against India.

Robinson’s performance at Trent Bridge in the first Test against India, claiming a maiden five-wicket haul in only his second Test, confirmed as much. He was simply outstanding.

His performance at the subsequent press conference was pretty impressive, too. He was thoughtful, honest and contrite about the errors of his past, the horrid historical racist and sexist tweets that emerged during his Test debut against New Zealand in June, leading to his suspension during an investigation, then an eight-match ban with five of them suspended.

“I’m a different person now,” Robinson, who was sacked by Yorkshire aged 20, said.

“I was a young 18-year-old naive guy and I made a lot of mistakes, not just those tweets.”

The Sussex bowler talked about wanting to prove himself the “real deal” on the field to his supportive colleagues, and that is something he has certainly done. He was up there for potency and effectiveness with James Anderson at Trent Bridge, putting Stuart Broad and Sam Curran in the shade, although the captain, Joe Root, was quick to explain afterwards that any preference of Robinson over Broad was down to the ends they preferred (and we know how dangerous writing off Broad is).

Robinson is clearly a cricketer possessing the most determined and focused of minds.

Robinson has been picking Jimmy Anderson’s brain ever since he entered the Test arena.

Compartmentalising the storm during his debut must have been so difficult, yet he still managed seven wickets in the match and a perky 42 with the bat. As Root said: “Ollie is certainly a very strong character, he has had to learn some very tough lessons and has taken them on board.”

In Robinson’s return at Nottingham he could so easily have retreated into his shell, but no, he was as competitive and aggressive as ever. KL Rahul certainly knew he was around with their constant conversations.

“Friendly banter,” was how Robinson described them, and indeed they were usually conducted with a smile from Robinson, rather than any scowl.

Joe Root was delighted with Robinson’s impact against India.

He fears no one. Robinson’s self-belief - not to be confused with arrogance - was evident from the moment he talked about how to dismiss the great Kane Williamson before even bowling a ball in Test cricket, but those close to him say he has long considered himself ready for Test cricket and was always convinced he would be comfortable in its harsh environs once given the opportunity.

He even fancies himself as a captain - he led Sussex against Kent in the County Championship last month - so Root can expect some advice soon, and he can also catch well at slip (Root should definitely consider him there then, given England’s travails in that department).

Robinson came relatively late to fast bowling. He was a batsman who bowled off spin until a growth spurt at 16.

Robinson showed his value with the bat against India at Trent Bridge.

He still bowls some off spin now and has taken first-class wickets with it, and initially, reflecting his aforementioned confidence, was rather overoptimistic with his quicker stuff, often attempting outswingers, inswingers, bouncers and yorkers in the space of a single over.

That has changed now. His first inspiration was Glenn McGrath - “for his immaculate line and length in all conditions” - before the encounter with Hazlewood in Sydney.

Robinson, operating mainly just above 80mph, may not be as quick as Hazlewood, but there are definite similarities in their approaches and actions. At 6ft 5in, Robinson’s greatest asset is a high release point, higher than those of Anderson and Broad, and therefore the bounce is achieved from an unerringly good length.

That length (hitting the top of off stump is a good guide) will vary on different surfaces, and it was to Robinson’s credit that at Trent Bridge he recognised quickly that too many of his balls were going over the stumps, thereby adjusting his length to a fraction fuller.

“He’s got a unique set of attributes,” Root says. “He makes the ball zip around and his accuracy in this game (at Trent Bridge) was exceptional.”

Early days, but you get the drift. Robinson’s first-class statistics in 66 matches are stunning, with 295 wickets at an average of 21.01.

Robinson could cause some real problems in Australia.

In Nottingham he bowled from a little wider of the crease than usual, perhaps trying more often to use the wobble-seam delivery (bowled with split fingers so that the ball wobbles on its way down) now so beloved of Anderson and Broad.

Robinson is a confirmed “cricket badger”, always watching and talking about the game, and it is said that he has been picking the brains of Anderson and Broad ever since his first involvement in the England squad.

Grade cricket is not Robinson’s only cricketing experience in Australia. In February last year he opened the bowling and took seven wickets for England Lions in a memorable victory over a strong Australia A side in an unofficial Test at Melbourne Cricket Ground.

Much is made of the need for pace in Australia, thus the lament over Jofra Archer’s absence this winter and the constant concern over the health of Olly Stone (out for the English season) and Mark Wood, but it is easily forgotten that England’s last series victory down under, in 2010-11, was not founded upon raw speed. Anderson, Chris Tremlett and Tim Bresnan were magnificent.

Accuracy and bounce were the keys, but so was movement, often so difficult to find with the Kookaburra ball. Robinson has the first two attributes and, as regards the third, you suspect that he will be able to move the ball in Australia as he does here. England have found a fine Test bowler.

Originally published as Ashes: Harmison questions if England’s withdrawls put Test cricket in danger