"It was everything I thought it was going to be" - Ollie Robinson on his first home Ashes

England pacer Ollie Robinson believes the hosts have succeeded in their goal of bringing the crowds back to watching Test cricket with their entertaining brand of playing, also known as 'Bazball'.

Robinson managed to play just three Tests in the Ashes series. A back spasm at Headingley put him out of the Manchester and Oval Tests. However, he was thrilled to be a part of a sensational series.

In his column for Wisden, here's what Ollie Robinson wrote about his experience and the impact England has had on the crowd:

"After watching the 2005 Ashes as a 13-year-old boy, it was everything I thought it was going to be. It lived up to every expectation I had and every moment that I imagined. I’ve had friends message me about the series who have never watched cricket before and they loved every bit of it. That’s part of the reason why we play – to put bums on seats and make kids want to grow up to be us."

Robinson admitted that he has learnt a lot from the Ashes and wants to make himself ready for the five-match Test series in India next year. He wrote:

"I think this series has been another good learner about my skills and my body and I think India is going to be an even harder test. It’s about getting as fit and ready as I possibly can for that series. I just want to improve myself and be the best I can be between now and then."

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We probably should have won the Ashes: Ollie Robinson

Ollie Robinson claimed that England were the better side and should have regained the Ashes. However, he is still delighted with the way the hosts fought back after being 2-0 down in the series and credited captain Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum for backing the team to play aggressively despite the failures.

On this, he stated:

"We felt like 2-2 helped the bitterness from Manchester a little bit but still, we felt like we dominated the series and probably should have won if we’re honest. But at the same time, Stokesy said how proud he was of the group and of how we were true to ourselves through the whole series.

"We went two-nil down against the number one team in the world, the world Test champions, and we stuck to our guns and came out even harder in a few games."

It will be more than 10 years to England's last Ashes win when they travel Down Under in the summer of 2025/26.