Robinson ruled out of second New Zealand Test with knee soreness

England’s pace plans took another hit when Ollie Robinson was ruled out of the second Test against New Zealand after soreness in his right knee, leaving the selectors to reshuffle a seam attack already missing Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson. Henry Crocombe was brought in as cover as Robinson prepared for a scan following the problem at training in Hove.

Robinson is expected to miss the match at The Oval, which begins on June 17, 2026, but England remain hopeful he can be available again for the third and final Test at Trent Bridge starting June 25, 2026. For a side trying to build continuity in the early stages of the series, the loss matters because Robinson had only just returned to Test cricket after more than two years away from the format.

That return had been emphatic. Against New Zealand at Lord’s, Robinson produced career-best match figures of 7 for 77, taking 5 for 39 in the first innings and 2 for 38 in the second as England won the opening Test. Before that, his previous Test appearance had come in Ranchi on the 2023-24 tour of India, where a back injury sustained while batting restricted him to just 13 overs with the ball. The latest knee issue adds another fitness question to a career that has repeatedly been interrupted at key moments.

Crocombe offers England a different kind of option. The Sussex fast bowler is uncapped at Test level but has been in recent England Lions squads, and he has taken 21 wickets in Division One this season at 28.61. Earlier this month, he also took 4 for 65 for the England Lions against South Africa A, form that kept him in the frame when England needed depth. His inclusion gives the selectors a live alternative rather than forcing them to overextend the same group of seamers.

England’s second-Test squad also includes Jofra Archer, Matthew Fisher and Sonny Baker among the pace options, but Robinson’s absence narrows the margin for error. With Stokes and Atkinson already unavailable, England enter the next Test with selection shaped less by rotation than by replacement, and with the broader issue now whether their fast-bowling plans are being tested by bad luck or by a recurring pattern of breakdowns early in the campaign.