Ollie Robinson Breaks Silence On Altercation With Usman Khawaja

The commencement of the third cycle of the World Test Championship and the highly awaited 2023 Ashes series witnessed an electrifying start. Australia withstood the belligerence of England to snatch a 2-wicket win in the 1st Ashes Test. However, much of the post-match discussion surrounding Australia's impressive performance in their title defense has revolved around the heated altercation between opener Usman Khawaja and England's fast bowler, Ollie Robinson.

Robinson has now shed light on the substantial backlash he faced following the incident in Birmingham, while also disclosing Khawaja's warning to him after the confrontation.

Robinson opens up, makes his stance clear

Robinson engaged in a fiery exchange with Khawaja not once, but twice. The first incident occurred on the third morning when Robinson provided England with a crucial breakthrough by dismissing Khawaja for 141 runs. In his celebration, the pacer unleashed a volley of offensive language, which garnered immense criticism from the cricketing world. The second incident took place during Australia's chase on the final day.

Former Australian captain Ricky Ponting had remained silent on the matter throughout the Ashes series opener but shared his opinion on the latest episode of the ICC Review podcast, aired on June 21. Ponting was also joined by former Australian opener Matthew Hayden in criticising Robinson. Hayden even referred to him as a "forgettable cricketer."

In response to the backlash, Robinson penned an exclusive column for Wisden, admitting that he had become caught up in the intensity of the moment. He also revealed that he did not consider the send-off to be a significant issue until he checked his phone at the end of the day's proceedings.

The pacer clarified that his actions were not directed at Khawaja personally but rather a result of being caught up in the intensity of the moment.

“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,” Robinson wrote in his column.

According to Robinson, bowlers like Jimmy Anderson, Stuart Broad, Glenn McGrath, and Brett Lee often engage in similar behaviour when they are fired up and determined to take wickets for their respective teams.

Robinson also disclosed that he approached Khawaja after their heated exchange to apologise for his behaviour. However, Khawaja, who later received the Player of the Match award, issued a warning to Robinson.

“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.”