"Ricky Ponting has put the needle in" - Mark Butcher on verbal war between former Aussie captain and Ollie Robinson
Former England batter Mark Butcher has opened up on Ricky Ponting's verbal war with bowler Ollie Robinson, who took aim at the former Australian captain during the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. Butcher, who played in a few Ashes series, underlined how Australians pounce on any chance they get.
After giving a fiery send-off, including uttering some cuss words to Usman Khawaja on Day 3 of the Test, Robinson justified that by saying that Australians like Ponting did the same during their playing days.
Ponting seemed surprised, given he did not belong to the current crop and urged the Sussex seamer to back his words with performances.
In his column for Sky Sports, the former player said:
"There has been a lot of chatter in the aftermath of the first Test. Ricky Ponting has, of course, put the needle in - just give him, or any Australian great, the opportunity to do so and they will take it."
The Surrey player urged England to make winning a priority and recalled how dominant Australians had been over the arch-rivals over the years:
"I spent an enormous amount of my career, nearly all of it in fact, getting beaten by Australian teams with no mercy. So the idea that you would almost offer up some sort of spectacle for people, with the result not mattering too much, it doesn't sit very well with me."
England have come under fire following their two-wicket loss at Edgbaston, as experts, including Kevin Pietersen and Geoffrey Boycott, have called for them to make winning their priority instead of entertaining the public.
"The temperature might go up a little bit on the field" - Mark Butcher
Despite the loss at Edgbaston, Butcher doesn't feel it will impact England's performance at Lord's, but he foresees plenty of on-field tensions:
"I don't expect England to go about things any differently at Lord's, though I think they may be a little chastened by what happened at Edgbaston. I think the temperature might go up a little bit on the field, from the players on both sides, for the second Test."
Usman Khawaja, who struck 141 and 65 in the two innings at Edgbaston, received the Player of the Match award in Australia's win. The second Test at Lord's starts on June 28.