Ashes 2021-22: Ollie Robinson bowls off-spin in Adelaide Test amid slow over rate concerns

Having lost the opening Ashes Test by nine wickets, England again find themselves in a spot of bother in the ongoing second Test at the Adelaide Oval. Electing to bat first at the venue, the Aussies posted a daunting 473/9 before declaring the innings. England, however, couldn’t do much with the bat and got bundled out for 236, handing the Aussies a massive 237-run lead in the first innings.

While England already have a lot to worry about, they also have some other issues to deal with. The Three Lions were docked eight World Test Championship points (WTC) and 100 % of their match fees for maintaining a slow over-rate during the opening game at the Gabba in Brisbane. More interestingly, the visitors went with a five-man pace attack in the Pink-Ball game and didn’t name any spinner.

England aware of slow over rate factor

The decision was pretty logical as left-arm spinner Jack Leach endured a horrendous outing the opening Test. However, the decision of fielding five pacers meant the risk of losing more WTC points gets even higher. In order to compensate for the time taken by the fast bowlers, skipper Joe Root significantly chipped in with his off-spins on expected lines.

More interestingly, even Ollie Robinson was seen bowling spin in the game. Robinson, who’s a right-arm pacer, was spotted bowling off-spins on Day 4 of the contest. While he didn’t look very effective, it ensured England have a better over rate. In Ben Stokes, James Anderson, Chris Woakes and Stuart Broad, the visitors have four more pace-bowling options in the team.

Ollie Robinson bowling spin#Ashes2021 #AUSvENG #Ashes #OllieRobinson pic.twitter.com/retDMU5jS5

— cricket_meme_haul (@cric_meme_haul) December 19, 2021

Hence, it would be interesting to see if Robinson continues to bowl spin or will switch back to his original departments. Meanwhile, Australia’s top-order struggled in the second innings as the likes of David Warner, Steve Smith and Marcus Harris were dismissed cheaply. However, Australia have taken their lead over 300 runs and England are all set to chase a daunting target.

It must be noted that Australia have played eight Day-Night Tests on previous occasions and emerged victorious every single time. Given the current scenario of the contest, the ninth win is on the cards.