Ollie Robinson said he thought he would never play Test cricket for England again after he ended a two-year absence at Lord's on Thursday.
On a chaotic opening day of England's first Test against New Zealand, the 32-year-old made his comeback in emphatic style, taking four wickets for 10 runs, including a triple-wicket maiden in his first over.
Robinson's last international appearance came against India in 2024, and had been overlooked by selectors due to concerns relating to conditioning.
With the new ball in his hand, Robinson started his first over on Thursday by bowling two dot balls before dismissing Devon Conway for lbw.
Two deliveries later, Kane Williamson knicked a ball from Robinson to Emilio Gay and walked for a two-ball duck. On the final delivery of the over, Robinson trapped Rachin Ravindra for lbw, sending the Lord's patrons into delirium.
"I can't really put it into words right now. It feels a bit surreal," Robinson said on his incredible comeback.
"Couldn't have dreamt it. It's been an amazing couple of hours, and it's just so good to be back.
"There were obviously doubts. I thought at Christmas time, I was never playing for England again.
"To get back in and get the support of everyone up there today, it's been amazing and just so special today."
Gus Atkinson (1-8) dismissed Tom Latham for lbw before Robinson clattered a delivery into Daryl Mitchell's stumps for his fourth of the day. Josh Tongue (1-22) added the final wicket of Tom Blundell, leaving New Zealand 61-6 at stumps.
Ben Stokes and Brendon McCullum had sought to refresh their team in the wake of their dismal Ashes campaign, and looked to Robinson as a result. The decision, which the English fast bowler said he was grateful for, appears to be very quickly paying off.
"I didn't really feel like I was going to get back in if I didn't smash the door down with performances," the Sussex bowler said. "And fortunately, I've got back in, and Baz [McCullum] and Stokesy [Stokes] have given me every bit of backing that they possibly can, which I'm really grateful for.
"But Stokesy [Stokes] said to me last week, he sent me a text: 'Great to have you back, but just know the hard work is still to be done.'
"That's what's constantly in my head at the moment. There's still a lot of hard work to do.
"These are the days that make it all worthwhile and that you play for. But I've still got a lot of work to do. It's just great to put the England shirt back on and be here."
The Sussex fast bowler has worked hard to secure a spot in the England Test side, notably spending the winter in Australia playing grade cricket for Sydney University Cricket Club.
Robinson had been touted as a bowler who could flourish Down Under on the hard Australian pitches, particularly at the Gabba and at the MCG, and some had questioned whether he should have been drafted into Stokes' squad for the tour.
In response, Robinson said: "To be honest, I was nowhere near ready to play or anywhere near where I am now as a person and as a cricketer.
"It's only probably been the last few months that I've got the enjoyment back for the game. And knuckled down a bit more.
"As you know, I went to Australia in the winter and played some grade cricket and just got the love of the game back really.
"Yeah, the wickets might have suited me. But I wasn't ready to play. There was a lot of hard work that still needed to be done for me to get back in."
Robinson, who had taken 76 wickets across 20 Tests for England prior to the beginning of Thursday's match, admitted he was eager to work hard and keep developing his game.
"I don't think I'm a different bowler," Robinson said. "I've put in a lot of work over the last couple of months to get back to the bowler I almost want to be. I'm still not quite there.
"There's a lot of hard work and things to do. But I think, as people have said, my skill has not really been in doubt. It's my fitness and other things. When I got the call from Keysy [Rob Key] and a text from Baz [McCullum], I knew I had a lot of hard work to put in.
"That's what I've tried to do over the last few months. I'm still not the finished article by no means, I've still got a lot of work to do. Those sort of sessions definitely make it worthwhile."
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