"Well that didn't work"- Brad Haddin takes a dig at Ollie Robinson as Australia beat England in Edgbaston
Former Australian wicketkeeper Brad Haddin took a cheeky jibe at England'a pacer Ollie Robinson's comments on Australia's lower order after their win over England in the first Ashes 2023 Test in Edgbaston on Tuesday.
In a press conference after end of play on Day 3, Robinson had shed light on how England look at Australia's No. 9, 10 & 11 as potentially 'three No.11s'. He said:
“It’s something we’ve spoken about as a group. We’ve said once we get past (Pat) Cummins, we feel like they’ve got three No. 11’s (in Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood). It’s something we can target through the series and try to wrap things up quite quick and give us that momentum in our batting innings.”
These comments didn't go down well as Scott Boland (20) and Nathan Lyon (16*) played crucial roles in Australia chasing 281. Speaking on 'Willow Talk' cricket podcast, here's what Brad Haddin had to say about Ollie Robinson's comments:
"Well that didn't work (Robinson's 3 No.11s comment). Robinson needs to be a bit careful here. Maybe emotions got the better of him. You win the Test matches on skill on the last day and it is war and attrition. He just got a bit ahead of himself and just needs a tap on the shoulder from some of the senior players."
Brad Haddin believes England had to take the second new ball after Alex Carey was dismissed instead of giving Joe Root another over in which he was smashed by Pat Cummins. He added:
"I think the turning point was when Alex Carey was dismissed. England had a decision to make and that was whether to continue with Joe Root. He had done his job. Test cricket is about recognising big moments and winning big moments. Pat Cummins scored 14 runs of Root's over and suddenly England couldn't be as aggressive as they wanted to."
Pat Cummins trusted Australia's own style of cricket: Brad Haddin
Brad Haddin praised Australian skipper Pat Cummins for his sensational knock of 44* that helped the visitors get over the line in the first Test. The former cricketer also credited the captain and the entire team for believing in their own way of cricket and not getting intimidated by the Bazball ideology.
On this, Haddin stated:
"The thing I like about Pat Cummins is that with so much talk about how England are playing, Patty has not been wavered. He is like 'No we will play our way of Test cricket. We have experience in our dressing room and we know what to do when we are put under pressure.' They took the game deep and trusted their own style and under pressure Patty delivered. They did it as a team and that's a lot to do with the calmness of the captain."
England would be hurting by the fact that they let Australia's ninth wicket partnership contribute as many as 55 runs.