Border, Healy tear into Robinson for abusing Khawaja in 1st Ashes Test; ENG star justifies with savage 'Ponting' reply
Ollie Robinson is likely to be punished by the ICC for the Usman Khawaja send off in Day 3 of the 1st Ashes Test
There were two reasons why the dismissal of Usman Khawaja was the most talked about moment on Day 3 of the 1st Ashes Test match at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. The first was the manner in which England captain Ben Stokes set the trap, leaving commentators baffled at the never-seen-before strategy, and the other was bowler Ollie Robinson's send-off to the batter. Elated at having given England the prized wicket of the centurion, Robinson celebrated by hurling abuses at the Australia batter, an act which severely criticised by legends Ian Healy and Allan Border, but the England star later responded with a savage "Ricky Ponting" reply.
Former Australia captain Border admitted that the reaction did come in the heat of the moment but expects that Robinson will get a payback when he steps in to bat in the second innings for England.
“I have heard some send-offs and have given some send-offs myself. It is sort of heat of the moment sort of stuff,” Border told SEN Breakfast. “Generally, I think Robinson is a pretty fair bloke from what I gather. But, you get fired up as a big fast bowler, words are said and then afterwards it’s all forgotten about generally. The media will jump on it, of course, but you know what goes around comes around, he’s put a bit of a target on his head. When he comes out the bat, hopefully it’s early tomorrow, and the Aussies won’t forget that’s for sure.”
ALSO READ: Watch: Never-seen-before 'Brumbella' tactic of Ben Stokes to dismiss Khawaja in 1st Ashes tie leaves ENG legends baffled
Ian Healy, meanwhile, feels that a fine or a punishment awaits Robinson and he is right. ICC can sanction a player for "any language, action or gesture used by a player and directed towards a batter upon his/her dismissal which has the potential to provoke an aggressive reaction".
“It is a lack of class like he’s been criticised for, but that’s ok, it happens in the heat of the moment. I think he should have been punished because it was shown so closely on TV and it does incite retaliation” Healy told SENQ Breakfast. “If Khawaja retaliated to that and said something back to him, he’d probably get in trouble. He (Robinson) was trying to incite that, it was rude and it was rugged. There probably should have been a little fine handed down to Ollie.”
The exact words Robinson later used to defend his act was "theatre of the game" although he did praise Khawaja for his exceptional show in the match which single-handedly drove Australia to seven runs short of England's first-innings total.
"It's my first home Ashes. To get the big wicket at the time was special for me. Uzzy played unbelievably well. To get that wicket for us at the time was massive," Robinson told reporters at stumps on day three. "We all want that theatre of the game, so I am here to provide it. I don't really care how it is perceived to be honest. It's the Ashes, it's professional sport. If you can't handle that, what can you handle?"
When further pressed about his act, he opined that Australia legends like Ponting have all done a similar in the past.
"When you're in the heat of the moment and you have the passion of the Ashes, that can happen. We've all seen Ricky Ponting and other Aussies do the same to us, and just because the shoe is on the other foot it's not received well."
