Joe Root: "Ollie [Robinson] wasn't as good as we would have liked or he was expecting himself... He's working very hard but there's something that's nagging away at him"; England's third Test against West Indies gets under way on Thursday, with the series all square heading into decider
Thursday 24 March 2022 07:10, UK
England will be without bowler Ollie Robinson once more for the third and final Test against the West Indies in Grenada as they go in search of a series win.
Sussex seamer Robinson missed the first two Tests in Antigua and Barbados with a back spasm and will also sit out the series decider from Thursday after suffering a setback in training.
Craig Overton replaces Yorkshire's Matthew Fisher as the only change for the tourists in an otherwise unchanged team.
Robinson was unable to reach 100 per cent in a net session on Wednesday and captain Joe Root said afterwards: "Ollie wasn't as good as we would have liked or he was expecting himself.
"It's just frustrating for him, as it is for me. He's working very hard but there's something that's nagging away at him.
"I'm not sure exactly of the medical prognosis. He's just got to keep on doing what he's doing and trust in time that he's going to get himself back.
"We all know how effective he has been and how good he's been in his short career up to now so the sooner we can get him back the better."
Unlike Robinson, Overton came through training unscathed and regains his place in the side having sat out the Barbados stalemate due to illness.
Somerset seamer Overton replaces Fisher, with England's bowling attack comprised of Overton, all-rounders Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes, fast bowler Saqib Mahmood and spinner Jack Leach.
Uncapped leg-spinner Matt Parkinson's hopes of a Test debut appear to have been dashed by the fact the Grenada surface looks livelier for seam bowlers than the docile pitches offered up in Antigua and Barbados.
Root added: "I think we're looking forward to a wicket with a bit more grass on it, as all of our seamers will be. By all accounts that's what we're expecting here."
England fought hard to try and secure fifth-day victories in Antigua and Barbados but on both occasions were thwarted by a resilient West Indies and unresponsive surfaces.
Root added: "I really hope we can take another step forward as a team and get across the line because there's been a lot of good stuff.
"We've played the majority of the cricket up until now and it would be a great way to end the tour.
"The most pleasing thing is that we've not had that nightmare session that's cost us a Test. We've looked at each individual session and each hour and looked to win each and every one of them.
"It's not always gone exactly like that but I think that mentality is really serving us well up to now. As long as we can keep driving that, I don't think it will be long until we find ourselves winning games again."
West Indies and England meet in the third and final Test, in Grenada, from 2pm UK time on Thursday. Follow over-by-over text commentary from 1.45pm on skysports.com and the Sky Sports app.
