England’s Ollie Robinson. File
| Photo Credit: Action Images via Reuters
England seamer Ollie Robinson on Wednesday had an unwanted record registered against his name for bowling the second-costliest over in First-Class cricket history, giving away 43 runs during a County Championship match.
The right-arm Robinson, who has played 20 Tests for England since his debut in 2021, was clobbered for 43 runs in a total of nine deliveries he bowled to complete his over.
Robinson, 30, was playing for Sussex against Leicestershire in Division Two match here at the County Ground in Hove.
Robinson, who overstepped thrice in the over, was hit for an overall two sixes, six fours and a single by Leicestershire’s Louis Kimber, who was batting on 72 off 56 balls when the contest entered the 59th over of their second innings chasing 464.
By the time Robinson finished his over, the right-handed Kimber had galloped to 109 not out off just 65 balls, with Ben Cox being the batter at the other end.
In county cricket, no-balls carry a two-run penalty.
The figures from Robinson’s 13th over in the game read: 6, 6nb (4×1, 2-nb), 4, 6, 4, 6nb (4×1, 2-nb), 4, 6nb (4×1, 2-nb), 1.
Robinson thus also reset the record of most runs conceded by an English bowler, surpassing ex Test pacer Alex Tudor’s 38-run over in which 34 were scored by Andrew Flintoff in a Surrey versus Lancashire contest in 1998.
Kimber went on with his carnage as he broke the record for the fastest double century in County cricket and England Test captain Ben Stokes’ record of most sixes in a County innings (18).
But Kimber was the last man to be dismissed after a whirlwind 127-ball 243 with 20 fours and 21 sixes as Sussex clinched the game with an 18-run win.
On Monday, England spinner Shoaib Bashir had given away 38 runs when Dan Lawrence smacked five consecutive sixes to the right-arm bowler who had an impressive tour of India earlier this year.
Bashir also bowled five wides, a no-ball and allowed a single in the Division One match.
The costliest over in history of First-Class cricket, however, was registered when former New Zealand off-break bowler Bert Vance was hammered for a mind-boggling 77 runs during a Shell Trophy game between Wellington and Canterbury in 1989-1990.
Vance, who bowled 17 no-balls in that over, played four Tests and eight ODIs for New Zealand between 1988-89.
