Ashes ace Robinson says ‘I don’t really care’ after being accused of F-bomb
England bowler Ollie Robinson was unrepentant after being accused of aiming an F-bomb at Aussie centurion Usman Khawaja.
Robinson bowled Khawaja, who had made a magnificent 141, with a brilliant yorker on the third morning of the first Ashes Test, reducing the tourists to 372-7 on the way to being bowled out for 386, a first inning deficit of 393. A fired-up Robinson reacted with an angry celebration, with some amateur limp-readers translating his send-off as more of a f*** off.
While the celebration didn’t sit well with some fans, Robinson didn’t care one jot. Speaking at the end of a day curtailed by heavy rain at Edgbaston, Robinson said: “I don’t really care how it’s perceived, to be honest.
“It’s the Ashes, it’s professional sport. If you can’t handle that, what can you handle? When you’re in the heat of the moment and have the passion of the Ashes that can happen.
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“We’ve all seen Ricky Ponting and other Aussies do that to us so just because the shoe’s on the other foot, it’s not received well. It’s my first home Ashes and to get the big wicket at the time was special for me.
“I think Uzzie [Khawaja] played unbelievably well. To get that wicket at the time for the team was massive. We all want that theatre of the game and I am here to provide it.”
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(Image: Sky Sports)
As for whether he expects to have to explain his conduct to the match referee, Robinson replied: “I’m not going to comment on that.”
Robinson and Stuart Broad finished with three wickets apiece to give England a slight edge before lunch but there were just 10.3 overs possible in the last two sessions because of rain.
In a 22-ball window either side of showers, Australia gained a foothold under gloomy skies and with the floodlights on. Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley were both dismissed and it might have been worse as Australia were convinced they heard a noise when Pat Cummins went past the bat of Joe Root but the not out decision was upheld on technology.
(Image: Shaun Botterill/Getty Images)
Asked whether England were annoyed at having to go out in gloomy conditions, Robinson said: “Yeah they were but they understand if the umpire says it’s fit to play, it’s fit to play.
“Crack on, you won’t hear any excuses from our side. We still want to be positive and aggressive in our batting, but unfortunately we lost two crucial wickets. That’s just the game.”
