Ollie Robinson overtakes Jasprit Bumrah, claims best Test bowling average among bowlers since World War I originally appeared on Cricket News. Add Cricket News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
KEY TAKEAWAYS:- Ollie Robinson's Test bowling average has dropped to 19.53, moving him past Jasprit Bumrah.
- He now has the best average of any bowler with at least 20 Tests since the First World War.
- Robinson took 8 for 35 across the match as England defeated Pakistan by 194 runs at Lord's.
Ollie Robinson has spent much of his England career being talked about for reasons other than his bowling, whether injury, fitness or the length of his absences. A four-wicket burst in both innings at Lord's on Sunday has produced a statistic that makes those conversations look increasingly beside the point.
With Pakistan chasing 389 and Robinson dismantling their resistance, his career average dipped to 19.53. Among bowlers with a minimum of 20 Tests, that is now the finest mark anyone has managed since the First World War, taking him past Jasprit Bumrah's 19.79.
Wisden managing editor Ben Gardner framed the achievement in even starker terms. "Ollie Robinson's Test bowling average has now dipped below Jasprit Bumrah's. No one since the First World War has more wickets at a better average than him," he wrote.
Ollie Robinson's Test bowling average has now dipped below Jasprit Bumrah's. No one since the First World War has more wickets at a better average than him
— Ben Gardner (@Ben_Wisden) August 30, 2026This feat also pushed him into a category that includes names like Sydney Barnes, who, despite retiring before WW1, remains for many the greatest Test bowler of all time.
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Where Ollie Robinson ranks on the all-time bowling average listThe qualification of at least 20 Tests matters enormously here, because without it the list becomes dominated by bowlers from cricket's earliest years who played a handful of matches on uncovered pitches. Applying that filter, Robinson sits fifth in the history of the format.
Every one of the four names above him finished their careers before the First World War, which is what gives Robinson's placing its significance. George Lohmann's remarkable 10.75 does not appear because he played only 18 Tests, and the same applies to Frederick Spofforth, Colin Blythe and, narrowly, Scott Boland on 19.
PlayerSpanTestsWicketsAverageBestWilliam Barnes (ENG)1880-1890215115.546/28Sydney Barnes (ENG)1901-19142718916.439/103Robert Peel (ENG)1884-18962010116.987/31John Briggs (ENG)1884-18993311817.758/11Ollie Robinson (ENG)2021-2026239919.535/39Jasprit Bumrah (IND)2018-20265223419.796/27(Minimum 20 Tests)
Gardner's version of the record addresses the volume question directly. The only bowlers since 1918 with a better average than Robinson are Bert Ironmonger at 17.97, Frank Tyson at 18.56 and Boland at 18.58, and all three did so across fewer wickets than his 99.
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How Robinson tore through Pakistan's resistance at Lord'sThe landmark arrived in the middle of a spell that effectively decided the Test. Pakistan had collapsed to 14 for 3 chasing 389 before Saud Shakeel and Shan Masood dug in for close to four hours, adding 97 and frustrating England to the point where the bowlers repeatedly asked umpires to inspect the ball.
Robinson returned with Jamie Smith standing up to the stumps and broke the stand immediately. Masood was given not out to an inswinger before England reviewed successfully, with the ball striking him in line with the leg stump.
Mohammad Rizwan followed for one, swatting across the line and being trapped in front. By tea, with Pakistan 140 for 5, Robinson had 4 for 24 in the innings and 8 for 35 across the match. Pakistan then went on to lose their last four wickets within 25 runs to give England a 194 victory and the series win.
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Why Robinson's numbers still come with an asteriskThe record is genuine and the filter is a fair one, but context is worth applying before Robinson is placed alongside the legendary Sydney Barnes. 23 Tests across five years is a modest sample for a player of his age, and the reason is the recurring back and injury problems that have restricted him to just five matches a season.
There is also the matter of where those wickets have come. A substantial portion of Robinson's career has been played in English conditions perfectly suited to his method of relentless accuracy and late movement.
Meanwhile, Bumrah's 19.79 has been assembled in away Tests across Australia, South Africa, England and the subcontinent over 52 matches. None of which diminishes what he has done, and reaching 100 Test wickets, now one away, would be a fitting marker for a bowler whose availability has so often been the only thing holding him back.
The question that lingers is whether he can stay on the field long enough to test the average against the conditions that have made Bumrah's record more complete.
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