"It was nothing against him and we had a good chat" - Ollie Robinson assures all is well with Usman Khawaja
England seamer Ollie Robinson revealed that he has called a truce with Usman Khawaja following the sledging incident in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. The Sussex seamer stated that Khawaja has always been a noble man and the two have been getting along well.
Robinson gave a fiery send-off to Khawaja after dismissing him for 141 in the first innings at Edgbaston. The duo were also involved in a verbal battle even in the second innings as James Anderson came in to take Robinson away.
In his column for The Wisden, Robinson wrote:
"I spoke to Ussie after as well and we were all good. 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."
The 29-year-old admitted not knowing the seriousness of the matter until he got several text messages. The right-arm seamer conceded that it all happened in the heat of the moment.
"I didn’t realise the Ussie [Usman Khawaja] send-off was such a big thing until I got off the pitch to find my phone blowing up with mates texting me and it all going off. I just got caught up in the moment. And obviously, Ussie was the big wicket. He was playing beautifully. It was nothing against Ussie, it was just one of those things. I got caught up in the moment and let myself go."
Despite his use of foul language, Robinson escaped with a warning from the match referee. A few sources claimed it was a 'borderline case'. As a result, he remains available for the rest of the series.
"I have faith in this team" - Ollie Robinson
Ollie Robinson believes that England's brand of cricket should comfortably allow them to win three games on the bounce even if they go down at Lord's in the next Test.
"I have faith in this team that even if we went 2-0 down, we could still win 3-2, because of the style of cricket that we’re playing. Obviously, we want the public to be invested in us and we want to win games for them. If they can keep backing us, I promise they’ll get rewarded, and 2-0 down could be 3-2 and we’ll see one of the greatest series ever."
Australia clinched a two-wicket win at Edgbaston as Pat Cummins and Nathan Lyon got their side across the line with an unbroken 55-run partnership. The next Test begins on June 28.