He made a promising start to his England career, with 160 in the second Test in 1984–85 against India in Delhi, and two big centuries against Australia in the 1985 Ashes series.

In Australia for the Bicentennial Test at Sydney, Robinson was again found out for his inability to handle short balls that he could not hook, when Tony Dodemaide dismissed him.

England did not tour in 1988–89, due to a row between the Indian and English cricket boards over Graham Gooch's South African connections.

Before the game had concluded, it was announced that Robinson was in a proposed party of sixteen players to join that coming winter's rebel tour to South Africa.

[1] He was Nottinghamshire's captain when they won the Benson and Hedges Cup in 1989, making his team's top score in the final.