VIDEO | Stuart Broad’s ‘dolly’ drop denies Ollie Robinson’s maiden-fifer

It was destined - Ollie Robinson making his Test debut - in Lord’s, was always going to pick that fifer in the first innings, after his early bowling display. However, to his horror, a simple dolly that seemingly was travelling right into Stuart Broad’s lap was dropped, denying him his first fifer.

Since 2018, Ollie Robinson has one of the best bowling records in the County Championship - averaging under 20 every season, which forced the selectors to pick him in the 15-man squad for the two-match Test series against New Zealand. Right from the pre-match, Robinson was sure that he was going to be the person for England in the Test, with his plans for Kane Williamson.

It was him, who gave the hosts the first breakthrough, dismissing Tom Latham, who edged back onto his stumps. Robinson, in his spell after lunch, caused mayhem, with the wicket of Ross Taylor while troubling Henry Nicholls early on in the innings. While a wicket never followed him in that session, he made amends on day two, with the wickets of Colin de Grandhomme and Kyle Jamieson.

Having already picked up four wickets in the innings, Robinson was charging, against Tim Southee, aiming for his fifth wicket. He even got Southee’s bat dancing, with a balloon straight towards the mid-on fielder, Stuart Broad. For a seasoned player like Broad, who has gobbled 47 catches in his Test career was seemingly right in place to pick his 48th.

However, what followed was a series of unfortunate incidents, with the Nottingham man dropping the simplest of dollies. Not only was it another drop catch in this innings but it was a dropped catch that denied the Sussex man his maiden-fer in the English whites, after years of dreaming about it.

Now Broad, talking at an event organised by soap and hand cleanser manufacturers Lifebuoy aimed at doubling the rate of handwashing in the UK, has suggested that, in his experience, a bowler is very sensitive to the condition of the ball and everyone in the team is required to "buy into" plans to look after it.

"I've obviously never bowled within the Australian bowling attack but I can talk about how, in an England Test team, if I miss the seam by four millimetres, Jimmy Anderson is on me," Broad said. "He'll be saying 'why has this ball got a mark on it here? It's because you've missed the seam! Start hitting the seam, will you'.

"Reverse swing with the red ball can be affected by so many different things. If you chase it to the boundary and throw it into the grass it can smooth the ball over and stop it reversing. If you touch the ball with wet hands it will stop it reversing. If you shine it in a way that smooths over the rough side it will stop it reversing.

"So as an England team, we are aware if we're trying to get the ball reversing every player has to buy into that or it will stop it.

"There's no doubt the Aussies would have been hoping this episode was signed sealed and delivered. It was an incredibly tough thing for those three players to go through. I can't see it still being a conversation [when the Ashes start] in November, December, but I can see it being sung in the Barmy Army stands if they're allowed.

"I have seen a couple of comments from David Warner's agent, too, and I think it will be an interesting time when he stops playing for Australia and writes a book."

Broad also expressed sympathy for Jofra Archer, who has been ruled out of the New Zealand series with a recurrence of an elbow injury. With "rest and rehab" having not worked, though, Broad suggested "more intensive" treatment may be necessary. While he stopped short of using the word 'surgery', he did suggest England - and Archer - would have to accept he can't play every game.

"I saw Jofra this morning," Broad said. "He is in decent spirits. I think it's been frustrating for him. You know, the first time I was really aware that he had a bit of an elbow issue was in South Africa. He missed a couple of games there and he tried to get fit for the Wanderers; he bowled in the morning and it hurt him too much. It's been a bit of an underlying niggle for him since.

"The rest and rehab option hasn't pulled through for him. He was obviously hopeful of coming back after having that hand surgery and resting the elbow. But it's still niggled him, so I'm sure the ECB will be thinking long and hard of what the next step is, but it's probably a little bit more intensive than rest and recoup now.