Robinson aids Smith's Ashes prep as Stokes steps up bowling return

England's Ollie Robinson has emerged as an unlikely figure in Australia's Ashes preparation after bowling to his former Sussex team-mate Steven Smith in the New South Wales nets on Thursday.

Robinson has taken 21 wickets in seven Ashes Tests but has not featured for England since February 2024, falling out of favour after his body let him down in one match too many. He took 39 wickets at 24.74 for Sussex in the County Championship this year, but never appeared in serious contention for a Test recall and was also overlooked by England Lions.

Instead, he has signed for Sydney University for a stint in grade cricket and was seen bowling at NSW batters at the SCG on Thursday ahead of their Sheffield Shield game against Victoria. The Sydney Morning Herald reported that Robinson bowled for "about 45 minutes" to batters including Smith and Sam Konstas, and later spoke at length to NSW coach Greg Shipperd.

While Robinson was bowling in Sydney, the first arrivals among England's Ashes squad trained at Lilac Hill in Perth. They included Ben Stokes, England's captain, who has not played competitively since sustaining an injury to a shoulder muscle against India in July but is confident of playing a full role in the first Test at Optus Stadium on November 21.

Stokes was welcomed to Australia by a front-page story in the West Australian which dubbed him "England's Cocky Captain Complainer", and the same newspaper reported that he had bowled in training on Thursday. Stokes stopped off in New Zealand to visit family before arriving in Australia, where he trained in the nets at Lincoln, Christchurch.

Around half of England's 16-man squad have already arrived in Perth, with the remainder due to follow this weekend. England's only warm-up fixture - a three-day match against England Lions - starts on Thursday at Lilac Hill.