{"id":271611,"date":"2025-07-18T08:52:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-18T08:52:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/271611\/"},"modified":"2025-07-18T08:52:13","modified_gmt":"2025-07-18T08:52:13","slug":"who-is-new-zealand-explosive-hitter-tim-robinson-with-a-javelin-past-cricket-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/271611\/","title":{"rendered":"Who is New Zealand explosive hitter Tim Robinson with a javelin past? | Cricket News"},"content":{"rendered":"

It\u2019s barely been 15 months since his international debut for New Zealand, but Tim Robinson has put behind the first impression of Shaheen Shah Afridi bowling him for a two ball duck.<\/p>\n

Midweek, he took on South Africa pacers in the T20 triseries in Zimbabwe and helped deliver a win after resurrecting a crumbling innings with his 57 ball 75 as NZ scored 173\/5 and shot out SA for 152. <\/p>\n

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The right-handed 23-year-old who\u2019s turned out for Northamptonshire, Wellington Firebirds, Guyana Amazon Warriors, might have struggled against Pakistan but has slowly picked up his average to 29.77 in 11 innings, striking at 131.<\/p>\n

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What makes Robinson, an all-rounder, unique is his past as a javelin thrower. According to collegesportmedia.co.nz, Robinson in addition to cricket was a leading javelin thrower, winning the intermediate title at the Secondary Schools Championship in 2017. He finished fifth in senior grade behind his brother Cam, who proceeded to study business agriculture at Massey University.<\/p>\n

His bowling might have needed managing with age old back problems that torment throwers, but his batting found a career top score in Zimbabwe against the Proteas. <\/p>\n

Robinson had thrown a 700 gm javelin to 54.43 for Wellington Amateur athletic club at 15, and 45.82 in 2021 for a 800gm javelin, before shifting to cricket. He replaced Finn Allen in the domestic franchise of Smash, as a rookalike batter, but the turning point was touring Pakistan in a Kiwi squad without IPL<\/a> players, after he came to attention because of 139 off 64 balls with 10 sixes against Otago Volts.<\/p>\n

According to cricinfo, Robinson alongside Dean Foxcroft and Mitch Hay spent two weeks at the Super Kings academy in Chennai<\/a> with old friend and Wellington coach Sriram Krishnamurthy to get used to red and black soil pitches last July. Learning to pick right deliveries to sweep was high on their agenda as per cricinfo. <\/p>\n

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As New Zealand rebuilding their T20 side, Robinson will be key to their fortunes in the upcoming World Cup. <\/p>\n

In 2017 in his erstwhile avatar, with a javelin, Tim and Cam won junior and senior titles at Secondary School Championships,after which Cam had famously quipped to collegesportmedia,co.nz that, \u201cWe\u2019ve always been good at throwing things except tantrums.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Composed under fire \u2013 Tim Robinson, take a bow \ud83e\udee1<\/p>\n

With wickets tumbling around him, Robinson stood tall for NZ, crafting a classy 75* off 57, and steered them to 173 in a high-stakes tri-series clash.#SAvNZ<\/a> #T20ITriSeries<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/Ig44hNxzTM<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 FanCode (@FanCode) July 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Tim\u2019s best throw of 54.99 had been 4th out of 6, though their spearing journey hadn\u2019t started too long before 2017. Winning at McEvedy shield athletics meet, an inter school, had piqued their interest in javelin. \u201cI gave up cricket because I thought I was fast, when I was not,\u201d Cam had told collegesportmedia.co.nz. At Wellington, they had been trained by coach Debbie Strange, coach of Olympian Stuart Farquhar. <\/p>\n

They spent their holidays shearing sheep at the family farm at Hunterville.<\/p>\n

Against Proteas, Robinson had a partnership of 103 in 63 balls with SA-born Bevon Jacobs (44 off 30) after all of Devon Conway, Daryll Mitchell, Mitchell Hay and Jimmy Neesham<\/a> went for single digits as Proteas\u2019 Kwena Maphaka and Lungi Ngidi and Gerald Coetzee struck blows.<\/p>\n

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Robinson later told New Zealand Cricket & CSA, \u201cWe were obviously struggling when we lost those early wickets and it\u2019s something we discussed me & Bevon\u2026during the innings and that\u2019s obviously\u2026 But I think the way we sort of thought about it was that longer we spent at crease easier runs would come and we couldn\u2019t afford to lose more wickets so we tried to take it as deep as we could and we had to run hard on long side but obviously we got lucky along the way. That\u2019s cricket.\u201d<\/p>\n

On Jacobs, who moved to NZ at 3, Robinson said, \u201cYou look at him and he\u2019s quite the big guy and will hit the ball long and he sure did. It\u2019s fantastic batting with him.
What struck me was when he came out and seemed to enjoy it and looked comfortable out there and played a good knock. I think he\u2019s going to play a lot of cricket so it\u2019s a good sign.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Tim<\/p>\n

Maphaka claiming wickets signalled arrival of new express pacer, and Robinson said, \u201cI think the Proteas balling is exceptional and their use of long side was exceptional. They bowled well with the new ball. It was hard when we continued to lose wickets. As we went deep we kept more wickets in the bank so we could capitalise in the end. As a batter that\u2019s one thing you do\u2026 Know where your feet are and play the ball that comes to you. For me, it\u2019s not about milestones, they are not on my radar but contributing to a win for your country is a great feeling and one I hope to replicate. Obviously it\u2019s nice you got to a 50 or something but it\u2019s about contributing to the win is rewarding.\u201d<\/p>\n

He typified the NZ approach to adaptability. \u201cT20 cricket \u2013 When you lose wickets it\u2019s hard to keep momentum and it\u2019s about small moments. While getting the win gives us confidence which we hope to carry on to Friday. We pride ourselves in adapting as quickly as we can. But different game, different wickets, different bowlers,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

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Robinson was enjoying playing in Zimbabwe. \u201cZimbabwe\u2019s a great country to play in. Weather is fantastic, people are nice and accommodating. And I love steaks. Steaks are my favourite. They make it a little different,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n

SA batting coach Ashwell Prince ceded the Robinson -Jacobs partnership had been costly. \u201cThe target was gettable. It was a good pitch. We lost a few wickets early on and were up against it. But we got to get something going but kept losing wickets all the way through and fell short. We bowled well. Used the bouncers that got us some wickets. But their partnership towards the end gave them a competitive score,\u2019 he said.<\/p>\n

On their own batting he added, \u201cIt\u2019s nature of T20 cricket. This is how we can go. They have a good side. We have a fairly young side. But we didn\u2019t get any batting rhythm going early on. And that\u2019s the key when chasing a score to get some rhythm and a partnership early on. We know we have power to catch up, and balance between runs required and how many we need to get.\u201d<\/p>\n

The two teams rebuilding after some high profile retirements in T20 are trying out new names. Lhuandre Pretorius who scored a century in Tests was stuttering a bit in T20s, but Prince laughed off suggestions he was struggling. \u201cLhuandre? Struggling? I don\u2019t think so. You gotta bear in mind he\u2019s 19. Not everytime he\u2019s going to walk out and smash 50, 100s. Against Zimbabwe he played a pull shot. Today against New Zealand he was playing well. Maybe he got a little cute with his shot and lost his wicket. He\u2019s a talented player but he\u2019s 19. He\u2019ll make errors that young players do. Against New Zealand today\u2019s lineup was also a bit experimental in terms of left right combination that you try to maximise the short boundary. Next time you play what\u2019s in front of you. But we are also beatable. We take it one game at a time.\u201d<\/p>\n

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When told none of Saffers had got to 50, he explained, \u201cIt\u2019s not about getting to a 50. If it was that then he would\u2019ve taken 6 more. It\u2019s not about that. It\u2019s about going out there and playing on the front foot \u2013 that is sticking to your style. If you are aggressive that\u2019s how you play. And what we encourage. It\u2019s not about getting to a 50. Brevis has played around the world, exposed to different leagues, teams and pressures. But at end of the day they have come to international cricket and its biggest stage at 18, 19. But we trust their abilities .\u201d<\/p>\n