LONDON (AP) — England fast bowler Ollie Robinson has declared his availability for the fourth Ashes test despite getting injured in the team's win over Australia in the third match of the series last week.
Robinson sent down just 11.2 overs at Headingley before suffering a back spasm. While he had a six-ball cameo with the bat and fielded in Australia’s second innings, he did not bowl again.
Robinson was told a heavy workload in the second test at Lord’s — where he bowled 50.4 overs across two innings — plus only a four-day turnaround between matches was likely responsible for his injury.
Robinson is hopeful of keeping his spot for the fourth test in Manchester starting Wednesday after being included in a 14-man squad.
“Sometimes these things come around, but then they go just as quickly as well,” he wrote in his column for Wisden.com. "I’m 100% fit for Manchester.”
Robinson said it was “frustrating” to get injured.
“Normally when I’ve had back spasms before, they’ve built up and I would feel it coming on. Whereas this was on landing, it was just a sudden, quick stabbing feeling in the back," he wrote.
“I think we caught it earlier than I have done in the past. I had some acupuncture, a bit of treatment, and I was fine after that. I was available to bowl on the third day if I’d been needed."
Robinson, who had an injection in his lower back before the start of the county season, faces a fight to retain his place as James Anderson is pushing to be involved at Old Trafford — his home ground — while the extra pace of Josh Tongue is also a consideration.
Stuart Broad and Chris Woakes are expected to stay in the team as is fellow pacer Mark Wood, who took seven wickets in the third test at Headingley and contributed 40 with the bat off 24 balls.
Australia leads the series 2-1. England needs to win both of the remaining tests to reclaim the urn.
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