Ollie Robinson is having fun after bowling with Usman Khawaja. Photo: Getty Images/Shaun Botterill
Ollie Robinson laid out a pithy philosophy when it comes to taking on the Ashes, stating, “Start it, do it big – and give the fans what they want.”
He caught that spirit the moment he saw Usman Khawaja's wheel come out of the ground on the third day of the first test, sending the rookie on the road with some boorish chatter.
Slow-motion video replays left little doubt about the wording. “Back off, you motherfucking n …” – that was the meaning. And with this spray, in a useful Australian, the detonator was pressed in this most famous antagonistic duel.
The Down Under reaction did not flatter Robinson. “Ridiculous” and “outrageous” said the bowler volley era for Khawaji, whom he finally sent to 141 after 20 overs of fruitless labor. “Classless,” said morale advocates at Australian Fox Cricket, who described him as having “minimal impact” until his “oddly aggressive intervention.”
It was ironic to face this level of criticism from the country that produced Rod Marsh and Ian Chappell, the men whose mid-seventies language made Robinson look like Mary Whitehouse.
And yet, a bit of sarcasm, coupled with the inevitable righteous indignation, is a staple of serial folklore. Can it be called Ash until the first sled is thrown? Robinson, in an irritated mood after Khawaja's eight hours in the crease, was only too glad to comply.
His outburst hardly joined the canon of the great Ashes profanity, along with Robin Smith: “I can't fuck with a bat and you can't fuck with a bowling alley.” retort to Merv Hughes, but it was a timely reminder of the tension simmering beneath the surface here in Edgbaston.
Sometimes international relations in Test cricket can feel a bit too festive. One factor is the inexorable spread of T20 franchises. Johnny Barstow and David Warner opened the game together for the Sunrisers Hyderabad. Are they really expected to be at each other's throats in Ashes when they shared the same dressing room in India?
GOT IT!
Olly Robinson with England breakthrough ⚡
Ousmane Khawaja goes for sensational 141 🙌🔥 photo .twitter.com/wH7DcTyVuE< /p>— Sky Sports Cricket (@SkyCricket) June 18, 2023
Robinson, who has never competed in the Indian Premier League, is not inclined to show such restraint. As a player specially saved for the long psychological warfare of the Test matches, he is quite content to take on the role of England's chief tracker.
What annoyed his Australian critics was the fact that he chose Khawaja as his target. The batsman is universally regarded as one of the most amiable people in the game, a reputation he lived up to by bringing his four-year-old daughter Aisha to his centenary press conference.
Calling him a “bastard” seemed outrageous, even for someone with Robinson's penchant for provocation. The image was not helped by the contrast with Joe Root, who, a few seconds after the gate, came up to congratulate Khawaja on his resilience.
Robinson's courage earned the admiration of Anderson and Broad
Surely, this was the only worthy gesture after such a marathon innings? Except that Ashes is not a spectacle that follows hard diplomatic niceties. The Aussies themselves are hardly angelic, as Steve Smith showed by slamming right into Harry Brook's face as the ball hit him, ripped off his hip and landed on his stump. By that standard, Robinson's celebration simply reflected the same disdain for protocol.
He later doubled down on his bid, showing no remorse for his actions, stating that he didn't care how they were received and that they were “part of the theater of ashes”. Of course, Khawaji's prize scalp flipped a switch inside him as he set to work with Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon a few frantic minutes before dinner. He wittily said that Lyon were among the “three 11-year-olds” who gave England hope that they could tail in half the time.
Whatever you say about Robinson, there is a certain arrogance about him. Fueling the anticipation of this series by promising to give Australia “a good cover”, he is now picking up intensity in the middle. He correctly concluded that Ashes was not a place for Puritans.
If you need proof of this, check out the drunken fans at the Hollies booth who have been taunting Travis Head all day by holding the wire in front of them with taunts too rude to be repeated in a family edition. But Head not only did not wince under the fire, but rushed towards them when he reappeared after dinner, as if urging them to do better.
Robinson is an agitator by nature. He will not hesitate to anger even such a modern great as Virat Kohli, who a couple of years ago, tired of his verbal statements in Lord, replied: “Come on, talker.”
In the England national team, this audacity earned him the admiration of James Anderson and Stuart Broad, a duo who are not easily impressed. And as this first test nears a dramatic denouement, his street fighter behavior has ignited a much-needed fire.
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