Public questions over Ollie Robinson’s fitness a ‘calculated risk’, admits former England men’s bowling coach Jon Lewis
England Women’s head coach Jon Lewis admitted comments he made over Ollie Robinson’s fitness last year were a ‘calculated risk’.
Following England’s defeat to Australia in the fifth and final Test of the 2021/22 Ashes, Lewis, who was at that point the England men’s bowling coach, attracted attention after publicly questioning Robinson’s fitness.
Getty
Lewis publicly questioned Robinson’s fitness
Speaking to talkSPORT’s Cricket Collective podcast, he pointed to his ‘robust relationship’ with the Sussex bowler and wanted to use it as a way to drive him on.
“If you listen back to it, what I actually said was I didn’t think he was fit enough to sustain an international career, not that he wasn’t fit enough to play Test cricket,” Lewis said.
“But I also have an incredibly strong relationship with Ollie that was built over a six or seven year coaching period with him from Sussex.
“So that robustness of a relationship between myself and himself, I knew that making a statement to him outwardly would more than likely drive him on. So you take a calculated risk when you speak like that to the media.”
Robinson, 29, has had a superb start on the pitch to his Test career, having taken 60 wickets at an average of 20.01 from his 14 Tests.
However, a series of back issues would mean that, following his appearance in Hobart, it would be over seven months until he took the field for England again.
Getty
Robinson has been impressive for England since making his debut
Poirier trolls McGregor and Chandler after it’s announced they fight later this year
UPDATED
Boxing schedule 2023: Results and dates including Tyson Fury and Anthony Joshua
Aaron Chalmers hopes to fight KSI, Jake Paul and Tommy Fury after Floyd Mayweather
KSI ACCEPTS Jake Paul’s public offer for winner-takes-all fight at…
..