Ollie Robinson made an excellent return to international cricket this summer, picking up 12 wickets at an average of 15 in two Test matches against South Africa.
Interestingly, Robinson was entrusted in both Tests with taking the new ball alongside James Anderson, with Stuart Broad coming on as first change. When he opened the bowling in the second Test at Old Trafford, it was the first time since January 2010 where Anderson and Broad had not taken the new ball for England when playing together.
And Broad has now revealed the plan for Robinson to open the bowling instead of him was formulated in captain Ben Stokes' car while the pair were playing a game of golf.
In his latest column for the Daily Mail, Broad wrote: "I didn't expect to be bowling first change and the plan for Ollie Robinson to take the new ball was actually hatched a few days later when I was a passenger in Stokes' car, after playing a round of golf.
"He asked me what I would do with Robbo, obviously someone who's a really good new-ball bowler. He was keen to get him into the game because he'd had a long time out, there'd been question marks over his fitness, and there was a bit of pressure on him.
"My response was 'yeah, I think he should take the new ball but it doesn't mean he has to take the second new ball.' And that we needed to be flexible because if we had been playing Australia the following week, and it was David Warner walking out to bat, I'd want it.
"Things are not set in stone in this team now. It's about being adjustable and adaptable." While Robinson excelled with the new ball, Broad also impressed in his new role as he picked up 11 wickets at 13.36.
"As first change, I was asked to lengthen the pressure period on the batters and I actually felt I did that, as in three out of the four innings I took a wicket in either my first over or second over," he added.
"I am always someone who has needed new challenges and I've always maintained that if I'm not working on something, trying to develop something technically or mentally or physically, my training becomes stale, and I become stale as a competitive sports person."
