'If you can't handle that': England quick Ollie Robinson doubles down after fiery Usman Khawaja send-off
Ollie Robinson has doubled down after his fiery send-off to Usman Khawaja, questioning whether Australia "could handle it". Full day three Ashes wrap
Ollie Robinson has defended his apparent send-off to Usman Khawaja, suggesting that Australia had done similar in the past and questioning whether the Aussies could handle it when “the shoe’s on the other foot.”
In an intriguing postscript to a rain-marred day three, Robinson described his fiery celebrations in which he appeared to mouth expletives in Khawaja’s direction as part of the “theatre of the game” but would not comment on whether he expected to be cited by the match referee for his conduct.
After bowling Australia out for 386 moments before the scheduled lunch break, England was 2-28 in its second innings, leading by 35, after openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley fell to Pat Cummins and Scott Boland respectively in a 22-ball window in which play resumed after the first rain break of the day.
Neither of the not out batters Joe Root and Ollie Pope had opened their accounts.
Stumps was eventually called after 6pm, with day four extended to 98.3 overs to make up for lost time.
England seamer Robinson took 3-55 in Australia’s first innings, including the breakthrough wicket of Khawaja for 141 during the first session of day three.
Robinson's eyes widened as he shouted in Khawaja’s direction before celebrating with teammates.
Robinson stood his ground after play when questioned about his behaviour.
“It's it's my first home Ashes and to get the big wicket at the time was special for me. I think Ussie played unbelievably well. And to get that wicket for us at the time as a team was massive,” Robinson said.
“And I think we all want that theatre of the game, don't we? So I’m here to provide it.
“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?”
Asked whether abusing opponents was part of the theatre of the game, Robinson said: “No, it's not but I think when you're in the heat of the moment and you have the passion of the Ashes that can happen. I think we've all seen Ricky Ponting, other Aussies do the same to us. So just because the shoe’s on the other foot, it’s not received well.”
Australian wicketkeeper Alex Carey said the incident had not been mentioned amongst the Aussie team.
“I was actually worded up that something happened before coming in here. So I didn't see it at all,” Carey said.
“(I) didn’t see anything over the top there.”
GREEN DOES IT AGAIN
Cameron Green took a beauty low to the ground at gully to remove Duckett for 19 in one of the highlights of the brief mid-afternoon stanza. Just as occurred with the all-rounder’s catch of Shubman Gill, in the World Test Championship final, the decision was sent to the third umpire who ruled in Australia’s favour.
LONG TAIL
Australia’s lower order batting always appeared limited without Mitchell Starc. And while Cummins clubbed his way to 38, his highest Test score since late 2018, the Aussies lost 3-14 as Nathan Lyon (one) and Boland (duck) both departed with negligible resistance. Starc averages 28 with the bat in the UK, and in a series that could be decided by fine margins, his secondary skill would be handy.
HEAD HUNTER
Patrons in the Hollies Stand had embarrassed themselves on Saturday with a crude chant referencing Rolf Harris. But at its best the carnival atmosphere at Edgbaston enhances the atmosphere. Travis Head had copped some ribbing early in the second session but embraced the reception, darting out to his position in the deep when play resumed after the first rain delay to greet his hecklers.
IS HE A 'KEEPER?
Marnus Labuschagne must feel a bit unlucky. Jonny Bairstow took a low grab to remove the world’s No. 1 Test batter early in Australia’s first innings, before proceeding to drop two further catches and miss a stumping. Carey was again a beneficiary on Sunday, put down by Bairstow after an edge off the bowling of Jimmy Anderson. Bairstow batted brilliantly in the first innings, but at what cost given the omitted Ben Foakes is widely considered the better wicketkeeper.
FUNKY TOWN
The biggest talking point surrounding Robinson’s dismissal of Khawaja for 141 was an unsightly send-off. But the build-up to the dismissal was itself fascinating. Ben Stokes had initially positioned four men in close in front of the batter on the leg side, before positioning three on either side of Khawaja in a something of a semi-circle. The move paid off.
UNHAPPY BIRTHDAY
Mooen Ali turned 36 on Sunday but there wasn’t much to celebrate. Ali seemed unprepared for Test cricket, no surprise given he hadn’t played a first-class match since September 2021 before coming out of retirement for this series. His spinning finger couldn’t cope with the load and was worse for wear. He was also fined 25 per cent of his match fee for placing a drying cream on his hand without permission, in contravention of spirit of cricket rules. To top it off, he bowled a couple of full-tosses and was tonked by Cummins.
STUMPS: PLAY ABANDONED FOR THE DAY
And that’s that. The umpires have convened for a pitch inspection, and decided that’s enough drama for one day.
Despite the best part of two sessions being washed out (save for a thrilling 20-minute burst between rain delays), we still very much have a live contest.
England’s fast scoring, and Australia’s twin blows to remove both England openers during that frantic 22-ball period after the first rain delay, have left the match on a knife’s edge.
The hosts lead by a meagre 35 runs, but have first-innings centurion Joe Root at the crease – and all of their Bazball bashers (Brook, Stokes, Bairstow) still to come.
Crucially, however, England may not know how much they’ll be able to call on frontline spinner Moeen Ali, who has suffered damage to his bowling hand – unsurprisingly given his heavy workload in his first Test match in two years.
It means we’ll have a jumbo-sized day tomorrow, with play able to be extended well into the evening to make up for (some of) the lost overs.
Join us then! It’s sure to be memorable.
1.50PM: THE STATE OF PLAY
There’s no official update, although at this stage you can confidently say that tea (which had been pushed back to 2am, AEST) has been taken.
Rain is still falling at Edgbaston and fans are starting to filter out. I know from experience that there are a couple of (fairly dodgy, from memory) pubs nearby the ground so perhaps they’re a more welcoming venue than a wet cricket ground for some.
Those who have stayed have done so because play can be extended to 7pm local time (4am AEST), should the rain ease.
But we’re a fair way away from that scenario playing out. So here’s a photo of Ollie Pope getting comfortable during the earlier delay.
1.20PM: OMINOUS SIGNS AS RAIN SETS IN
It’s not looking good at Edgbaston. The weather has set in, although the heaviest of it has moved through, and the afternoon session is quickly getting away from us.
It’s absolutely hosing it down in Birmingham ☔ï¸#Ashespic.twitter.com/yyTikN11LW
— England's Barmy Army ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ¥ó ®ó §ó ¿ðŸŽº (@TheBarmyArmy) June 18, 2023
England won’t be unhappy to have the rain stick around, given the carnage that happened in the 22 deliveries they faced between the two delays.
Under heavy skies, Pat Cummins and Scott Boland had the ball singing like we’ve not seen over the first two days of this Test.
The docile Edgbaston deck suddenly bore teeth and it briefly felt like a traditional Ashes Test.
But the problem with clouds? Sometimes they bring rain. As they’ve done here. But if there is no more play today, the match is beautifully set up for a dramatic finish – with England suddenly on the back foot, despite holding a slender 35-run lead.
12.52AM: RAIN HITS EDGBASTON ONCE AGAIN
That was short and sweet. The rain has returned at Edgbaston. But what a dramatic period that was.
20 minutes of action. 22 balls bowled. Two runs scored. Two wickets taken.
Both England openers have been dismissed and Cameron Green has taken another speccy – there is not a better gully fielder in the world. And I’m struggling to think of a better one in my lifetime. The man is a freak.
Australia went close to nailing England to the wall, coming within a whisker of claiming the wicket of first-innings hero Joe Root, but all they did was burn a review.
But they were the best conditions for bowling Australia has enjoyed, and they made the most of it. Pat Cummins and Scott Boland taking a wicket each is a tremendous return in just under four overs.
And former Australian captain Mark Taylor had one question for his fellow commentators.
“Where was Bazball the last 20 minutes? I was expecting fours and sixes. All I saw was wickets and no runs,” Taylor said, somewhat tongue in cheek.
12.42AM: WICKET! ONE BRINGS TWO, AND CRAWLEY DEPARTS
Well, well, well! The weather Gods are working against England right now. It’s dark, it’s damp, and Australia – for the first time this Test – have the ball hooping around.
They have two wickets in three balls, this time Zak Crawley joins his opening partner in the dressingroom having feathered a catch to Alex Carey off Scott Boland.
A beautiful delivery, and Crawley has words with the umpires. There’s no debating whether there’s an edge. But perhaps Crawley felt players should’ve been off the field due to the light and the impending rain?
He was never likely to win that argument, however.
Two balls later and Joe Root is hit on the pads, and Australia wants an LBW, but they wisely decide to decline a review. It’s hit Root outside the line.
They do, however, burn a review in the following over on a caught-behind decision - they’re keen to get Root out, and that is a desperate review.
12.38AM: WICKET! ANOTHER GREEN SCREAMER AS RAIN LOOMS
Just as it seemed the groundstaff were about to charge onto the field, with dark clouds incoming, Australia have their breakthrough.
Captain Pat Cummins gets the edge from Ben Duckett, and Cameron Green does the rest.
The youngster is a magician at gully, and he gets his giant mitts underneath the ball to take yet another screamer – but it needs to be confirmed by the third umpire.
However this isn’t as controversial as the Shubman Gill catch from last week’s World Test Championship final – a decision which angered one billion people – and is quickly confirmed.
Not that the English fans are satisfied.
“Same old Aussies, always cheating,” sang the fans from the Hollies Stand, with boos breaking out as the dismissal was confirmed on the big screen.
Duckett departs for 19 and England are 1-27.
12.30AM: WE’RE BACK!
Pat Cummins completes the seventh over after that lengthy delay. And joining him for the first time in the attack this innings is Scott Boland.
Boland had a rough time of it in the first innings, probably the first time in Test cricket that he’s truly struggled.
But with wet, dreary conditions… surely the big Victorian should feel right at home?
More rain looks like it is on the way, but let’s see whether Australia can make the most of the overhead conditions and get the ball to move around a bit.
If everything goes to plan, play will be extended by an extra half-hour to make up for the lost overs.
12.05AM: RAIN EASES, PLAY SET TO RESUME!
Promising signs at Edgbaston, with play set to resume in a little over 20 minutes from now – at 3.30pm local time (12.30am, if you’re on the Aussie east coast!).
That will shuffle the tea break back to 5pm (2am AEST), and give both teams a good chance to move the game along today should there be no further delays.
England will resume on 0-26, and Pat Cummins will have one ball left of the seventh over to get us underway.
11.50PM: RAIN CONTINUES TO FALL AT EDGBASTON
There’s no good news from Edgbaston at the moment on the weather front.
It appears that fickle English weather wants its moment in the spotlight (please, nobody google how many overs have been lost to rain at the SCG over the past 15 years – I’ve been there for most of those delays, and I don’t want to revisit them even for a second).
But what does this delay mean for the match itself, and the likelihood of a result?
Well, given how quickly England push the game on I don’t think it makes it a lay down misere that this will become a draw – perhaps unless we lose three or more sessions to rain.
Already we’ve seen both teams complete their first innings, inside seven sessions – something that would be considered unusual on Australian soil.
But it does make it imperative that Australia can’t let England dictate the pace of the game from here. Pat Cummins was accused of being too passive with his field settings in the first innings, tactics which have crept into today as well.
Something for Cummins, and the Australian coaching staff, to ponder during the rain delay.
11.15PM: RAIN HALTS PLAY
The players have left the field as a small shower has arrived at Edgbaston.
With one ball left to go in the seventh over England are 0-26, and holding a 33-run lead. But they’ve been forced off the field with a modest amount of rain hitting the stadium.
We haven’t seen a great deal from the Australian bowlers, and little trouble for England’s openers, early on here.
Pat Cummins did not look impressed by the decision to take players off, and it is hopefully just a passing shower and we’re not sitting around twiddling our thumbs for too long.
11.05PM: CUMMINS TURNS TO LYON EARLY
Just five overs into England’s second innings, and Pat Cummins has already turned to his frontline spinner, Nathan Lyon.
Lyon was excellent on the opening day of the Test, finishing with four wickets, and the wicket has shown to be taking more turn over the course of the Australian innings.
So Lyon should be licking his lips at the prospect of taking on an ultra-aggressive batting lineup on an increasingly turning pitch.
It’s an aggressive ploy, from Cummins. But what remains conservative is his field placement. Australia continue to deploy the deep point and are leaking singles through that region without England needing to be particularly enterprising.
Time will tell if it’s a ploy that will pay off (and, it’s worth point out, Cummins is an elite Test cricket and I most certainly am not).
10.50PM: ‘F**KING P***K’: ENGLAND STAR’S UGLY KHAWAJA SEND-OFF
England’s Ollie Robinson has caused a social media storm after eagle-eyed viewers objected to his vicious send-off of Usman Khawaja on day three of the first Ashes Test.
Robinson removed Khawaja with a terrific delivery, knocking the opener’s off-stump out of the ground, to end his fine knock on 141.
Vision appears to show Robinson giving Khawaja a bit of lip, shouting “f**k off you f**king pr**k” as he starts his march back to the Australian dressing room.
“It just strikes me as so ill-considered and makes no sense to me,” SEN commentator Adam Collins said.
“These two play with such great spirit, I am not sure that was in the spirit though.”
Social media also lit up with fans unimpressed with Robinson’s actions.
“F%ck off you prick” is Ollie Robinson’s send off after being dominated by Khawaja for a day and a half. At least his character is more consistent than his cricket,” wrote user Tim Palmer on Twitter.
“Telling Khawaja to “f**k off” and calling him a “prick” after that innings was atrocious,” wrote another.
“I see Root got straight over to congratulate him. That’s sportsmanship.”
SIX catchers in and the plan works ðŸ‘
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) June 18, 2023
Khawaja gone for 141.
COME ON ENGLAND! ðŸ´ó §ó ¢ó ¥ó ®ó §ó ¿ #EnglandCricket | #Ashespic.twitter.com/6MLJcQxzCX
10.35PM: WILL BAZBALL RETURN IN SECOND SESSION?
It’s England’s turn to bat on this flat wicket again. With the promise of rain arriving later this afternoon, there’s nothing surer than England’s batsmen looking to impose themselves on this match in quick time again, is there?
Zak Crawley opened the Test with a punchy cover drive off Pat Cummins and it set the tone for day one, and perhaps for the entire series.
But many questions remain.
Will Pat Cummins tinker with his tactics and field settings, after being slammed for his defensive approach on day one?
Can Scott Boland bounce back after his worst day in the field in his incredible career to date?
And will Nathan Lyon be the key on a dry wicket which looks to be offering a bit more to the spinners than the seamers?
A big couple of sessions to come tonight.
LUNCH: AUSSIES ALL OUT AS TAIL FALLS TO PIECES
All over! Australia has been knocked over for 386.
Pat Cummins is the last wicket to fall, top-edging a pull shot off Ollie Robinson – two balls after sending a similar stroke into the grandstand for six.
Ben Stokes comfortably takes the low catch, and incredibly England have a seven-run first innings lead.
That looked desperately unlikely an hour or even half an hour ago, but Australia lost their final five wickets for 48 runs – and their final four for 14 inside four overs.
England will take a bit of momentum into their second innings, with that late flurry of wickets waking up the crowd, but after five sessions this match could hardly be more evenly placed.
England also have some concerns about the availability of chief spinner Moeen Ali, who spent time off the field with a finger injury – after earlier being fined by the ICC for illegally applying cream to his damaged bowling hand.
We’ll be back after a short break to take you through the final two sessions.
9.53PM: WICKET! THREE IN QUICK TIME FOR ENGLAND
Another one! England are running riot here.
Stuart Broad rattles Scott Boland with a fierce bouncer, and the big quick can only fend it to Ollie Pope at silly mid-off.
He goes for a duck, Australia have lost 3-6 in 17 deliveries.
Australia still trail by 15 runs… and suddenly it looks quite likely that England will take a first-innings lead!
9.46PM: WICKET! ROBINSON AT THE DOUBLE
The wickets are falling now – and Australia are still 16 shy of England’s first innings total, and the crowd have found their voice again.
Nathan Lyon departs for one, hooking Ollie Robinson to deep midwicket where Ben Duckett takes a comfortable low catch.
England are reverting to the short-ball strategy, and it has worked in this case. Lyon struck that pretty well, a little too well because it carries well to the fielder on the boundary.
Pat Cummins has worn a bouncer to the chest, also, and Scott Boland is the new man in.
9.35PM: WICKET! KHAWAJA’S MIGHTY INNINGS ENDS
England have their man. Usman Khawaja departs, with Ollie Robinson knocking his off stump out of the ground.
Khawaja charged down the wicket and yorked himself in a way – and he departs for a tremendous 141, having dragged Australia to within 21 runs of England’s first-innings total.
A fairly reckless end to a terrific knock, and he’s well and truly saved Australia following the failings of his fellow top-order stars.
But this means it is very much game on. England have three more wickets they need to knock over, and lunch is little more than 20 minutes away.
They will still think it’s possible to take a slender lead into the second innings, while Australia will hope Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood can chip in with captain Pat Cummins to build something of a lead themselves.
9.20PM: THE HIDDEN COST ENGLAND MUST PAY FOR BAZBALL
The injury to Moeen Ali’s bowling hand, and the increasing workload on veteran quicks Stuart Broad and Jimmy Anderson, this morning gives us a good opportunity to plug this great piece from Robert Craddock.
As Crash asks, could the flat` tracks England requested to bat on hurt their veteran attack?
Because it took just two days of intense combat to realise the destiny of the Ashes is less likely to be decided by the willow-waving glory boys of Bazball than the pack horses trailing behind them.
Read the full story on CODE Sports here.
9.00PM: AUSTRALIA PULL CLOSER TO PARITY
It’s drinks time at Edgbaston, and Australia has enjoyed a productive morning so far, putting on 54 runs despite the loss of Alex Carey for 66.
Joining Usman Khawaja in the middle, Pat Cummins (23) has helped add 27 for the seventh wicket to bring Australia to within 28 of England’s first innings total of 393.
There is rain predicted throughout the afternoon, but if Australia’s tail can wag that will be an enormous boost. First innings runs could be crucial in this Test, although you suspect England will back themselves to score quickly enough to make up for whatever time is lost to rain.
Moeen Ali has returned to the field after receiving some treatment on his bowling hand, but has not yet been thrown the ball to test out Cummins.
His involvement in the rest of today’s play, and indeed the Test itself, will be worth keeping a close eye on.
Finger issues for Moeen stem from the quality of the Dukes ball, its seam and the way he spins it over his 2nd knuckle. @Swannyg66 pointed it out ahead of the series. “Mo is a natural spinner, like Monty or myself. He spins is, gets drift and dip. My only worry is the ball."
— Dean Wilson (@CricketMirror) June 18, 2023
8.45PM: MOEEN FORCED FROM FIELD WITH INJURY
It goes from bad to worse for Moeen Ali.
After copping a 25 per cent fine from the ICC for applying cream to his bowling hand, he’s now seemingly succumbed to the injury which required the cream in the first place.
It appears Moeen is experiencing some discomfort on his bowling hand, perhaps due to the workload in his first Test in two years. But it’s not uncommon for offspinners to open up cuts on their main spinning finger, which naturally can be very painful.
As Moeen left the field he turned to the England coaching staff and appeared to show off the damage to his right hand.
They desperately need him over the next three days - and not just because the wicket seems to be more welcoming of spin bowling than seam.
With 33 overs to his name, Moeen has shouldered a heavy workload - nearly double the overs of Stuart Broad and Ollie Robinson.
8.30PM: ENGLAND STAR PUNISHED OVER RULE BREACH
England spinner Moeen Ali has been fined after admitting to applying a cream to his hand before bowling on day two of the first Test.
Ali was docked 25 per cent of his match fee after being found guilty of breaching spirit of cricket provisions under the ICC code of conduct.
He has also received one demerit point under the ICC’s disciplinary system.
“The incident occurred during the 89th over of Australia’s first innings at Edgbaston when Moeen was seen applying a drying agent to his bowling hand at the boundary line while fielding,” the ICC said in a statement on Sunday.
“Moeen admitted the offence and accepted the sanction proposed by Andy Pycroft of the Emirates ICC Elite Panel of Match Referees, so there was no need for a formal hearing.
“In reaching his decision to sanction the player along with the level 1 sanction he imposed, the match referee was satisfied that the cream was applied to the finger only to dry his hands. The cream was not applied as an artificial substance to the ball and consequently, it did not change the condition of the ball, which would have been in breach of clause 41.3 of the ICC playing conditions – unfair play – the match ball – changing its condition.” - DANIEL CHERNY
8.25PM: WICKET! ANDERSON STRIKES EARLY ON DAY THREE
There’s the money ball! You can’t keep Jimmy Anderson out of the game for long, and after going wicketless yesterday he’s waited just 20 minutes this morning to claim his first scalp of this series.
And it’s an important one. Alex Carey, bowled through the gate by a delightful delivery swinging back into the left-hander, departs for 66.
It ends an excellent stay at the crease for Carey, and a 118-run sixth-wicket stand with Khawaja.
England’s lead has been trimmed to 55, but they’ll be motivated now: they’re into the Australian tail, with Pat Cummins arriving at the crease.
And beyond Cummins, who can hold the bat and a little bit more, the rest of Australia’s tail are less than prolific when it comes to contributing on the scoreboard.
8.10PM: DROPPED! BAIRSTOW’S WOES CONTINUE
Plenty of chat after play yesterday was about England’s sloppiness in the field, and that they could’ve had Australia all out by stumps last night.
At the centre of much of the drama was recalled wicketkeeper Jonny Bairstow.
And just four balls into day three, and Bairstow has grassed another chance – giving another life to Alex Carey.
Jimmy Anderson, wicketless in this Test, enticed a drive from Carey and caught the inside edge, only to have Bairstow misread the ball and have it thud into his wrist.
“Sloppy from Bairstow,” says former England captain Nasser Hussain.
It’s only going to reignite the debate about whether England have made the right call to sideline Ben Foakes, the superior keeper but - as a batsman – not capable of delivering the Bazball-type innings England craves.
Bairstow hit a fine run-a-ball 78 late on day one to drag England out of a hole.
8.00PM: DAY THREE UNDERWAY
Jerusalem has been sung which, in England, means it is time for some cricket.
Jimmy Anderson will bowl the first over of the day – his 16th of the innings – while Usman Khawaja has taken guard and will look to build on his unbeaten 126 from last night.
Australia will have designs on making the most of the morning, wiping the remainder of England’s first innings total and building a lead of their own before lunch.
7.45PM: GLOOMY FORECAST OVERSHADOWS FIRST TEST
Clear skies will greet Usman Khawaja and Alex Carey when they walk to the crease, with a target of 82 to wipe before reaching parity in the first innings of this Test.
However the weather forecast beyond the morning’s play looks far more troubling – with thunderstorms predicted to hit midway through the middle session.
And once it hits, it is expect to set in for the evening.
In short: win the morning, win the day.
But in better news, the forecast looks much better for day four – before another hit-and-miss day on Tuesday.
Fingers crossed the meteorologists have got this one wrong and we get a full day’s play today!
Rain about in Birmingham today, and a thunderstorm warning. Not sure I fancy our chances of seeing much cricket after 3pm.
— Sam Morshead (@SamMorshead_) June 18, 2023
England have to make the most of the morning.#Ashespic.twitter.com/UTV20TYyov
7.30PM: ENGLAND GREAT’S STUNNING BAZBALL CALL
England assistant coach Paul Collingwood has made the stunning declaration that, for his side, winning isn’t everything.
Entertainment is the name of the game for Ben Stokes and his merry men, according to Collingwood.
England rolled Collingwood out to do the post-day press conference at the end of day two, in which Australia fought back to finish 82 runs shy of the host’s first-innings total with five wickets in hand.
Turning to an assistant coach – rather than a notable player from the day’s play, or indeed the captain – is usually a tactic employed to protect players after a side has experienced a disastrous day in the field.
And Collingwood delivered in taking the heat off England’s stars – and the Edgbaston curator.
“We have said right from the start we are trying to make Test cricket a lot more entertaining. If we don’t do that, then Test cricket might not survive,” he added.
“Our vision as a Test team is far greater than results.
“Australia can go about it how they want to go about it, but we’ll stick to our plans and we’re happy with how we did it over the first two days.”
England’s Bazball revolution has led to a remarkable turnaround in results under new coach Brendon McCullum – but rarely have they experienced the sort of resistance provided by Usman Khawaja and the Australians after lunch yesterday.
“We have pretty aggressive fields, we try not to allow them to rotate the strike and try to put them under pressure in that way and find different ways to take wickets,” Collingwood added.
“We try and focus on what we do, how we go about the game.”
6.30PM: ENGLAND VILLAIN SLAMS DEAD ASHES PITCH
Usman Khawaja said the taunts of the Edgbaston crowd spurred him on to an “emotional” maiden Test hundred in England as he led Australia’s fightback in the Ashes opener on Saturday.
Australia were reeling at 67-3 after Stuart Broad struck twice in two balls to remove David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne, the world’s top-ranked Test batsman, before England captain Ben Stokes captured the prize wicket of Steve Smith.
Yet they recovered to 311-5 at stumps on the second day, 82 runs behind England’s first-innings 393-8 declared, with left-handed opener Khawaja 126 not out.
Broad said the intensity of the occasion allied to a “soulless” pitch, contributed to a “frustrating day”.
“I’m not really a big no-ball bowler,” he told the BBC.
“I have probably bowled more today than in a Test match day before. There’s no excuse.
“But it is the first innings of an Ashes Test match, you have some big emotions there so you are trying to gain energy from the surface and maybe pushing a little bit too hard.”
He addded: “It is certainly one of the slowest pitches I can remember bowling on in England ... Hopefully it is not a trend for the whole series.”
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