‘They need to change to keep up’: Ollie Robinson doubles down in stunning Ashes claim

Public enemy number one Ollie Robinson has reflected on his fiery send-off for Usman Khawaja, while firing yet more shots at the Australians ahead of the Lord’s Test.

New “public enemy number one” Ollie Robinson has opened up on the reaction to his fiery Usman Khawaja send-off while sending Australia a warning ahead of the second Test.

Writing in an exclusive column for Wisden, Robinson admitted he “got caught up in the moment” when delivering an expletive-ridden spray at Khawaja after dismissing the Australian batter.

Stream Over 50 Sports Live & On-Demand with Kayo. New to Kayo? Start your free trial now >

There was significant backlash to Robinson’s actions, with Matthew Hayden describing him as a “forgettable cricketer” while Ricky Ponting called the fast bowler a “slow learner”.

Robinson though wrote in the Wisden column that it did not dawn on him that the Khawaja send-off would be such a big deal until he checked his phone after leaving the pitch.

SIX catchers in and the plan works 👏

Khawaja gone for 141.

COME ON ENGLAND! 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿 #EnglandCricket | #Ashespic.twitter.com/6MLJcQxzCX

— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 18, 2023

“I didn’t realise the Ussie send-off was such a big thing until I got off the pitch to find my phone blowing up with mates texting me and it all going off,” Robinson wrote.

“I just got caught up in the moment. I was desperate for a wicket; I hadn’t bowled that well in the first innings, I’d had that slip in my second over and lost a bit of confidence, and then I was trying to feel my way back in a little bit, having not played much for a while.

“And obviously Ussie was the big wicket, he was playing beautifully. It was nothing against Ussie, it was just one of those things, I got caught up in the moment and let myself go.

“We’ve all seen it with Jimmy [Anderson], Broady, [Glenn] McGrath, Brett Lee. All the bowlers do it when they’re fired up and trying to get a wicket for their team.”

Robinson revealed that he later went to apologise to Khawaja, who had a simple message for his England rival and that the pair are “all good” now.

“I spoke to Ussie after as well and we were all good,” wrote Robinson.

“He was just like, “Mate, just be careful what you say.” It was nothing against him and we had a good chat. He’s a nice guy and I’ve always gotten on well with him, having played against him a few times.”

Robinson, meanwhile, echoed the sentiments of England captain Ben Stokes who said he was “devastated and proud” in the wake of the team’s first Test defeat to Australia.

While it may not have ended in a win, Stokes was adamant that it was at least a moral victory of sorts for England given the show they put on in front of a near sellout Edgbaston crowd.

“We are not a results-driven team, but we are absolutely devastated,” Stokes said.

“The lads are in pieces up there. But if that’s not attracting people to the game we love then I don’t know what will. In terms of what we put into this week, taking the game on from ball one, it would have been easy to play it a bit safer but we didn’t do that, not one individual. That’s something I’ve very proud of.”

The English bowlers were ground into the dirt at Edgbaston. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

Robinson made a similar argument in his column for Wisden but also sent the Australians a warning, claiming they need to adjust their defensive approach ahead of the second Test.

“Obviously it was gutting to come out on the losing side. Trust me, I hate losing. That night in the dressing room I sat for five full minutes with my cap over my head and felt immensely disappointed,” Robinson wrote.

“Baz [Brendon McCullum] spoke first. He always goes first when we lose. He just said, ‘Lads, I’m immensely proud of the efforts that you’ve put in, we’ve made the game what it was. We were so close to pulling off an unbelievable victory. We played all the cricket in the game. If it wasn’t for us, the Australians wouldn’t have even had a chance to win.’

“And then the dust settles, and you’re reminded again of the bigger picture. It’s about more than just winning a Test match. Because at the end of the day, stats are forgotten. It’s more than that. We’re trying to create memories and be that team that everyone still speaks about in 20-30 years’ time.

“We were surprised by how defensive Australia were and how unwilling they were to go toe-to-toe with us. Obviously it’s worked for them this Test match. But we feel that with the way they’re playing at the moment, a pitch with a bit more movement would benefit us hugely. Baz said it after the game, ‘It feels like we’ve won, lads’. We’ve entertained the world, and we’ve put the Aussies on the back foot. For him to say that after a loss is quite significant for us.”

Usman Khawaja smacked England around for a day and a half for an almost chanceless 141. (Photo by Geoff Caddick / AFP)

Robinson went on to write that if there is “any movement” in the pitch at Lord’s, England will be in a good position to bounce back should Australia continue its defensive tactics.

“We were surprised to see Australia so defensive from ball one,” the fast bowler wrote.

“You just don’t see the Australians cautious and on the back foot like that. As soon as we saw the field for that first over, we felt like we had a hold on them. And then came that first shot from Zak Crawley. Broady [Stuart Broad] said it’s his favourite ever Ashes moment. The noise, the sound, the crowd, it was just amazing to witness, and the roar in the dressing room was so loud, you’d have thought we’d won the series already.

“We felt like we had to move the game on to give ourselves time to try and bowl Australia out. But let’s be honest, even if the pitch had done a bit more, we would have played the same way. We will always take the aggressive option. And that’s what we saw over those five days on a pretty docile wicket.

“I think most teams in the world would have just settled for the draw and moved down. But we want to capture the imaginations of people. We want kids to grow up wanting to play Test cricket for England. I saw there were record viewing numbers for the match, which is pretty special, and shows that we’re going on the right lines.

“Of course it sounds weird because they won it, but I think if they’re honest, Australia will look at themselves and realise they need to change their approach to keep up with how we’re going to play. If there’s any movement in the pitch at Lord’s, the way we’re playing compared to them is going to benefit us hugely.”

Originally published as ‘They need to change to keep up’: Ollie Robinson doubles down in stunning Ashes claim