112 years later! Ollie Robinson joins the rarest Test bowling club with an average under 19

England’s Ollie Robinson celebrates Pakistan’s Saim Ayub’s goal. (Photo by Reuters) NEW DELHI: Ollie Robinson has joined one of Test cricket’s most exclusive statistical clubs, becoming the first bowler in over a century to boast a bowling average below 19 after playing at least 20 matches.Robinson’s two wickets in the first innings of the ongoing third Test against Pakistan at Edgbaston took his career tally to 104 wickets from 24 Tests, with his average dropping to 18.86. The England seamer is now the first bowler since Sydney Barnes in 1914 to average under 19 while also reaching the 20-Test mark.Barnes ended his Test career with 189 wickets from 27 matches at an extraordinary average of 16.43. His career ended in 1914, meaning Robinson’s feat comes 112 years after the last pitcher to accomplish the feat.The rarity of Robinson numbers becomes clearer when a restriction is applied. Only six bowlers in Test history have averaged below 20 after playing at least 20 Tests. Four of them are from England’s early Test era, while the other two are Robinson and Jasprit Bumrah from India.

Robinson joins the elite list

Billy Barnes leads the list with an average of 15.54 from 21 Tests, taking 51 wickets. Sydney Barnes follows at 16.43 with 189 wickets in 27 Tests, while Bobby Peel averaged 16.98 from 20 Tests after taking 101 wickets.Johnny Briggs is fourth with 118 wickets from 33 Tests at an average of 17.75.Robinson now ranks fifth on the list with 104 wickets at 18.86 from 24 Tests. Bumrah is sixth having taken 234 wickets from 52 Tests at 19:79.

Best Test bowling average (min. 20 Tests)

BowlerTestsWicketsAverageBilly Barnes215115.54Sydney Barnes2718916.43Bobby Peel2010116.98Johnny Briggs3311817.75Ollie Robinson2410418.86Jasprit Bumrah95Robinson’s latest milestone came during a dominant spell against Pakistan at Edgbaston. After England posted a huge total, the pacer struck twice in Pakistan’s second innings before rain interrupted play.He removed Saim Ayub with the very first ball of the innings and dismissed Abdullah Shafique with the fourth delivery. Pakistan were reduced to 0-2 before Shan Masood and Azan Awais tied the innings.The dismissal off the first ball was a remarkable feat in itself. Robinson became only the fifth bowler in Test history to take a wicket on the first delivery of an innings twice in a series. India’s Zaheer Khan last achieved the feat against Bangladesh in 2007, while Bill Voce was the previous Englishman to do so against Australia in 1937.England lead the three-Test series 2-0 and are now firmly in a position to complete a clean sweep. But amid that dominance, it was Robinson’s remarkable bowling numbers that provided the standout statistical story at Edgbaston – putting his name alongside some of the greatest wicket-takers of the early Test era.