England will head to The Oval without Ollie Robinson after the seamer reported pain in his right knee during a light session at Hove on Friday. A precautionary scan has been booked for early next week, and while the medical team are reluctant to set firm dates, they remain “optimistic” he could re-join the squad in time for the third and final Test at Trent Bridge on 25 June.
It is another frustrating interruption for Robinson, whose career-best 7 for 77 at Lord’s, his first Test in more than two years, had briefly quietened the talk about his fitness record. The 30-year-old has managed only 21 caps since 2021, with back and ankle niggles frequently stalling momentum.
In the meantime, Sussex team-mate Henry Crocombe has been added as cover. The 22-year-old is uncapped but his 21 Division One wickets this summer, plus 4 for 65 for the Lions against South Africa A, mark steady progress. Whether he makes a debut on Wednesday depends on how the selectors shuffle a pace unit already missing Ben Stokes and Gus Atkinson, both stood down for breaking curfew after the Lord’s victory.
Jofra Archer, recalled after the IPL, sits alongside Matthew Fisher and Sonny Baker as alternative seam options. Archer’s workload remains a talking point; the staff have been careful not to overload an elbow that has caused repeated layoffs.
Stokes, meanwhile, looks set for a low-key return in county colours. Durham are confident he will play the next Championship round, assuming clearance arrives in time. Head coach Ryan Campbell put it bluntly: “With Stokes, we still don’t know for sure until we get told by England, but I’m thinking it’s 75% he’ll be playing,” Campbell said. “That’s going to be an interesting selection decision.”
England will name their XI on the morning of the match, as usual. For now, the priority is getting Robinson’s knee settled and, they hope, turning that Oval absence into a one-Test blip rather than the latest long lay-off in a career that keeps promising more than his body has so far allowed.
