Ollie Robinson Overtakes Bumrah for Best Test Bowling Average in 112 Years

Ollie Robinson has produced one of the most remarkable statistical achievements in modern Test cricket, moving past Jasprit Bumrah to claim the best bowling average among bowlers with a minimum of 20 Tests over the last 112 years, following a four-wicket burst on day four of England's second Test win over Pakistan at Lord's.

Robinson's wickets in Pakistan's second innings pushed his career average down to 19.53 from 23 Tests, edging past the previous benchmark of 19.79 held by Bumrah among bowlers who made their debuts after 2000. Wisden's managing editor Ben Gardner summed up the scale of the feat succinctly, noting that no one since the First World War has taken as many wickets at a better average. Robinson finished the match with figures of 8 for 35, his second successive Player of the Match award, and now has 99 Test wickets, just one shy of the milestone century.

Applying the 20-Test qualification, which filters out bowlers from cricket's earliest, uncovered-pitch era who played only a handful of matches, Robinson now sits fifth in the entire history of Test cricket. The four names above him, W Barnes (15.54), SF Barnes (16.43), R Peel (16.98) and J Briggs (17.75), all finished their careers before the First World War, underlining just how rare Robinson's placing is by modern standards.

The achievement has arrived in the middle of a stunning comeback summer for the seamer, who was recalled to the England side after a two-and-a-half-year absence. Since returning, Robinson has taken 23 wickets in his last three Tests at an extraordinary average of 8.35, a run of form that has been central to England's dominant start to the home summer against Pakistan. Bumrah's own mark of 19.79, built across 234 wickets in 52 Tests in some of the most demanding conditions in world cricket, remains far from diminished by Robinson's rise, but for now, the record belongs to the Englishman.