Glamorgan fight back against Sussex as fast bowler Ollie Robinson suffers injury scare

England fast bowler Ollie Robinson provoked Ashes fitness fears by failing to take the field after lunch for Sussex on the third day of their LV= Insurance County Championship game against Glamorgan at Hove.

Robinson did not open the attack in the morning, but, coming on to bowl after half-an-hour’s play, put in an eight-over spell without looking quite as dangerous as he had the day before, when he bowled seven overs.

Robinson failed to take a wicket, although he did have Glamorgan captain Kiran Carlson, who went on to make an unbeaten century, dropped at third slip by James Coles.

Asked about Robinson’s post-lunch absence, Paul Farbrace, the Sussex head coach, refused to comment.

Robinson has been in fine form, taking career best match figures of 14 for 117 against Worcestershire earlier this month before being rested for the game against Leicestershire.

He maintained that form on Thursday when he was Sussex’s best bowler with figures of four for 29 as Glamorgan were dismissed for 123 in their first innings.

But, when Sussex took the new ball on Saturday afternoon, desperate for a breakthrough with Glamorgan 309 for three, Robinson was still off the field.

Instead there was good Ashes news for Australia as key batter Marnus Labuschagne, in his final innings for Glamorgan this summer, hit 138 from 244 balls, with 16 fours and four sixes.

He and Carlson put on 288 for the fourth wicket as the county fought their back from conceding a first-innings deficit of 358.

At the close of the third day Glamorgan led by 141 on 499 for five, with Carlson 187 not out.

Glamorgan had resumed on 118 for one, still trailing by 240 runs.

They lost their first wicket of the day in the eighth over of the morning when Zain-ul-Hassan was smartly stumped by Oli Carter off off-spinner Jack Carson, having added just three runs to his overnight score.

And Carson put himself on a hat-trick when he took another wicket with his next ball, dismissing Sam Northeast lbw on the back foot.

But that was as good as it got for Sussex for a long time.

Absorbing

When Robinson entered the attack he seemed unable to muster the rhythm and menace of the previous evening, which had made his contest with Labuschagne so absorbing, although he was unlucky not to pick up the wicket of Carlson for just three.

Carlson survived another chance on 21 when he advanced down the wicket to drive Carson for four, the bowler getting a hand to the ball.

Labuschagne, making up for his solitary run in the first innings, lifted slow-left armer Coles over midwicket to reach his half-century from 121 deliveries, with six fours and three sixes, his innings a combination of obduracy and big shots.

Glamorgan went into lunch on 223 for three.

In the afternoon session Labuschagne and Carlson looked unperturbed as Sussex captain Chet Pujara rotated his bowlers while he awaited the arrival of the new ball.

Carlson reached his century when he worked Tom Haines behind square on the leg side. He had faced 127 balls and hit 10 fours and a six.

Sussex finally broke through when Labuschagne was lbw to Coles, who later had Billy Root caught at forward short leg, but by then Glamorgan had turned the game on its head.