HEADINGLEY — It was apt that on the first day of Joe Root’s second coming as England captain, it was Ollie Robinson, a man ridiculed during his first spell in the job, who led the charge against Pakistan.

Now 32, Robinson is now in his third coming as an international bowler after doubts over his fitness and pace have seen him drift in and out of the team since his Test debut in the summer of 2021.

Even on an opening day of this first Test against Pakistan at Leeds that saw him seal a fifth career five-wicket haul, there were gripes over his pace. Across his 18 overs he averaged 78.4 miles per hour, with the first ball of his final spell clocked at just 71mph.

Yet at the end of a day that saw Robinson and Josh Tongue, who also took a five-fer, rout Pakistan for 171, the Sussex man’s Test average stands at 21.25 across 22 matches.

In any other country, a bowler of such skill would be treasured. Yet after a Bazball era that saw extreme pace fetishized, Robinson’s suitability for this level is still widely questioned.

He was ostracised for four-and-a-half years before returning for the first Test of this summer against New Zealand at Lord’s. Since then, he has 12 wickets at 10.66.

Granted, it’s a small sample size. But it’s in keeping with his entire Test career. When fit, he is one of the best in the world, especially in English conditions. It’s why he is the man to lead England’s attack in the post-James Anderson and Stuart Broad world. It’s also why he is the bowler most likely to lead his country to glory next summer when the Australians arrive here for the Ashes.

If that scenario were to come to pass – and it’s still a big if at this stage – it would be the ultimate vindication of Root’s captaincy and the decision to keep faith with Robinson.

This is a bowler whose multiple career lowlights came almost exclusively during Root’s first spell as captain. His debut, when he excelled with the ball against New Zealand at Lord’s, was marred by media revelations about unsavoury social media content he had posted in the past.

That match also summed up England’s negative approach under Root, with his team choosing to shut up shop and go for the draw when set a target of 273 in 75 overs. Bazball, under coach Brendon McCullum and captain Ben Stokes when no target was seen as too daunting, was a reaction against that match in particular.

The worst of Robinson’s low lights in that initial first spell in Test cricket came during a miserable 2021-22 Ashes series in Australia.

First was the sight of the seamer bowling off-spin in Adelaide after England had opted to pick a spinner for that second Test.

Yet the nadir came in the final Test at Hobart, with Robinson first called out publicly by then bowling coach Jon Lewis over his fitness and then bowled by Pat Cummins with the final ball of the series as he backed away to square leg.

It summed up a sorry tour that saw an England team ground down by overbearing Covid restrictions show no fight by the end. Robinson’s part in the grisly final act felt fitting.

Turning the tables next summer against Australia would be redemption for both Root and Robinson.

As a bowler, he is capable of splitting opinion like few others, mainly because of those fitness concerns.

After his seven-wicket haul at Lord’s in June, an issue with his right knee saw him ruled out of the second Test at The Oval and he was overlooked for the third. When The i Paper spoke to Robinson exclusively last month, he was adamant he was fit for that final New Zealand Test at Trent Bridge.

But it was obvious that England didn’t trust him to not break down if selected.

Now with McCullum and Stokes gone, Robinson has a chance to prove once and for all he has the durability to lead England’s attack. With this Test starting just five days after Robinson’s partner gave birth to a baby girl, maybe it can signal a genuine rebirth of his England career?

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He was on the money right from the start at Headingley – trapping Azan Awais lbw with the first ball of the series.

Four of his five scalps were top-five batters and while his pace is nowhere near that of Tongue, it is Robinson’s skill that sets him apart. It was epitomised by the inswinger that bowled Abdullah Shafique and sparked a collapse of 6 for 53 to wrap up the Pakistan innings.

It’s also worth noting this wicket came with wicketkeeper Jamie Smith standing up to the stumps – a tactic adopted by both Australia last winter and New Zealand earlier this summer to counter England’s aggressive stroke-players.

It’s also one Rob Key, still England’s director of cricket, said was outdated back in 2024. “This 75mph, keeper up, dobbing it on a length – we know that doesn’t work in Test cricket, wherever you are.”

It’s a line that has aged as well as a week-old camembert being left in the boot of a car during this summer’s heatwave.