Veteran England pacer James Anderson has defended his teammate Ollie Robinson’s explosive send-off to Usman Khawaja amid criticism, saying he did nothing wrong. He added that there was nothing said that was unacceptable by the two teams during the first Test of the 2023 Ashes at Edgbaston, Birmingham.
Ollie Robinson took five wickets in the first test. However, his performance was overshadowed by his send-off to Usman Khawaja. Robison bowled a yorker to Khawaja, who danced down the wicket and then tried to squeeze it out. However, he missed the ball, which went on to dismantle the stumps. Khawaja had to walk back to the pavilion for 141 runs with a fiery send-off from Robinson.
James Anderson feels that Ollie Robinson should not change as aggression brings out the best in him. In his column for The Telegraph, the veteran pacer expressed that Robinson should not be bothered by the comments from former cricketers. He wrote,
“Ollie did nothing wrong when he had his moment with Khawaja. In fact, I stood at mid-off for most of the game and didn’t hear anything said by either team that was unacceptable.”
“It has revved up a few former Australia cricketers who have had a bit to say in the media. That’s OK. I’m sure I will be doing that as an ex-player. You have to keep your name in the papers and keep getting a job. It is to be expected. More and more people will come out of the woodwork with that kind of stuff as the series goes on. I don’t want Ollie to change. I like him getting fired up. He bowls better when he is in that mood. From personal experience, I know I bowl better when I am a bit more aggressive and intense,” he added.
Ollie Robinson thrives on verbal battles: James Anderson
England pacer Ollie Robinson and Usman Khawaja were also seen having a conversation in the second innings. However, James Anderson claimed that it was not a heated exchange between the two players. He added that seeing bowlers getting fired up is great to watch for the fans. The veteran bowler wrote,
“I stepped in to chat to Ollie when he and Usman were having an exchange of views in the second innings. It was gentle stuff, they were just talking cricket.
“Whenever I watched cricket as a kid I wanted to see bowlers fired up. It makes for better theatre and is a lot more enjoyable to watch. Everyone is just encouraged to be themselves in our team. Some people don’t like getting into a verbal battle. Some do. Robbo thrives on it,” he added.
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