Virat Kohli's description was a "real find"; "Unprecedented" was Joe Root's word: the way you look at it, England has a man for the long haul in Ollie Robinson.
Robinson was named the player of the match as England completed an innings and 76-run victory in the 3rd LV=Insurance Test at Leeds. He took 7 for 81 in the match, which included 5 for 65 in the second innings. With James Anderson and Stuart Broad coming towards the end and Jofra Archer facing an uncertain future, at least in Test cricket, Robinson's rise leaves England very confident for the future.
Robinson took 4 for 25 in eight metronomic overs on the fourth and final morning. Running from Kirkstall's lane end, he quickly settled on a consistent length that threatened the stumps and both sides of the bat. Yes, he had a new ball to work with. But the pitch was flat and the sun was shining. These were not easy wickets taken on an English seamer.
It was interesting to hear that Robinson credited Anderson's influence after taking the second five-wicket haul of his career, who is only four Tests old. Almost as impressive as Robinson's figures is his obvious ability to pick up new moves. Here, in the lead up to the game, he noticed that Anderson was handling the ball a little differently than the other bowlers. Arguing that there is no one better to learn from, he quickly chose Anderson's mind.
Robinson said, "I noticed that Jimmy held his wobbly grip a little different from how I and a few others had held." "When we got to Headingley after the break, I talked to him and just tried to practice it in the nets. It was great. I tried it in the game and it worked really well. It's something that I need to practice a little more. But learning from Jimmy has been invaluable at this point in my career and luckily it came out today."
This ability to take skills from other bowlers is nothing new to Robinson. He grew up with Glenn McGrath as his idol and then played grade cricket with Josh Hazlewood in Australia. His influence can be seen in both his amazingly smooth, repeatable action and his ability to pull out an excellent, consistent, length of probe. Earlier in the series, he produced a knuckle ball - changing his grip as he gathered to deliver - which also showcased his extensive prowess.
He says his stock ball is delivered with a wobbly seam, which he hopes will catch the right-handed batsman and release it. And it was just one delivery that was attributed to Kohli, whose habit of tinkering a little outside the off-stump was punished when Robinson was persuaded to bounce one and at least straighten it.
But equally dangerous is the one who comes back into the batsmen. And while Robinson's bounce - even from full length, Hawkeye tends to show the ball bouncing over the stumps - and the eccentric nature of his inswing at times make the leg-before dismissal a little more rare than you might expect. (Mohammed Shami was, at one stage, retrieved by DRS when he saw the whole world as if he was stuck in front), the fact that he could move the ball in both directions creates confusion. Is. So Cheteshwar Pujara dropped one that would have hit his off-stump and Kohli would have been floored with one he could have missed. The fact that all of this is delivered with the frightening accuracy of a toothache just has an effect on the concentration of the batsmen. This is a wonderful package.
Interestingly, Kohli later gave a warning while praising him. "He understands his skills really well," Kohli told the BBC. "He swings the ball both ways and he is very consistent, especially in these conditions. He is a real find for them."
There will no doubt be days, especially in Asia, when that line of "these conditions" turns out to be true. But Robinsons can also enjoy South Africa, Australia and, depending on the surfaces, the Caribbean. He has already played a considerable amount of grade cricket and while he is unlikely to get the same swing with the Kookaburra ball, he can enjoy the extra bounce off the pitch. He will still hit the seam; He will still bowl with an immaculate length. These are skills that give him a useful addition to the attack in most situations.
"My strength is consistency," Robinson said. "It's something I look at every day after I bowl with analyst and bowling coach John Lewis. I look at how I've bowled and check my line and length. If I'm as consistent as possible, Maybe, don't go for runs and put pressure, then hopefully I can get wickets with him.
"My stock ball is just to try to wiggle the seam and keep it away from the right-hander. I'm learning a few things at the moment that I won't reveal, but I'm trying to improve myself over time. , really. Learning from Jimmy, talking to John Lewis - I'm really trying to improve myself all the time to be the best I can be."
One doubt England had about Robinson was his ability to support the performance. But he has managed to bowl more overs than anyone else in this series and has generally maintained both his consistency and the pace.
"It has been wonderful to see him perform as he is," said his grateful captain Root. "He has been a big influence on all the Tests he has played. We know how skilled he is. It was a question of whether he would be able to support it with a slightly bigger ball in his third spell. And he has shown Huge skill in being able to do that time and time again with huge workloads under his belt. He has shown what he is capable of and will continue to do for a long time."
Robinson said: "I was confident that I could perform at this level. Over the last three or four years in county cricket, I've been with the leading wicket-takers and getting good players or foreign players out. So. I knew that if I stepped into Test cricket, I could do the same and luckily I could.
"It feels like a very special day. It's one of the great days of my cricket career: getting my first Test win and taking important wickets. Really special. When we got Kohli out, the noise was deafening. It was just an incredible experience and the feeling of getting that wicket.
"So, yeah. I'm very happy. I've had to wait a while for my chance, but hopefully I've taken it now and it will keep me on the team for years to come."
It looks like every possibility.
Craig Overton's game was also good. He looked very strong with bat, ball and slip. With the return of Archer, Broad and Woakes, he may struggle to retain his place. But his consistency and his obvious penchant for challenge make him a good option at this stage. He may have now surpassed Sam Curran in the pecking order.
In the short term, England are hopeful that Woakes and Mark Wood can be available for the fourth Test, which starts on Thursday at the Kia Oval. Both have bowled in the last day - with Woakes in the Blast and Wood in training - and will be monitored to see how they recover. The extra day off would have done no harm to anyone involved in the game.
But Jos Buttler is less likely to feature. Root would neither confirm nor deny, but Buttler could be absent on paternity leave for one or both of the next two Tests. Even with his enthusiasm to tour Australia in the current circumstances doubtful - quite understandably, it should be added - there is a possibility (just a possibility) he could have played his last Test. Jonny Bairstow is likely to be replaced at The Oval with gloves on, if necessary, with Ollie Pope ready to come into the middle order. Dan Lawrence has been released to play County Championship cricket from Monday.
Such issues can wait till next week. For now, we can enjoy the prospect of an increasingly interesting series that will 'live' till the end. Every ball counts, you know.