The thrilling conclusion of the first Test in the 2023 Ashes series witnessed an exceptional display by Australian captain Pat Cummins, who remained unbeaten on 44 to guide his team to a memorable two-wicket victory at Edgbaston.
However, the match attracted considerable attention beyond the on-field action due to a verbal clash between England’s fast bowler Ollie Robinson and Australian batsman Usman Khawaja. The two players found themselves at odds on two separate occasions during the Test, generating extensive discussions on social media and among former cricketers.
After dismissing Khawaja in the first innings, Robinson verbally abused the Australian batter.
Robinson faced criticism for his behaviour, but he defended himself by mentioning former Australian captain Ricky Ponting in his response, introducing an intriguing twist to the controversy.
“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,” Robinson had said.
In response to the situation, Ponting has now expressed his disapproval of Robinson for mentioning his name in his statement.
“As I said after Ollie Robinson said what he said, this England cricket team hasn’t played against Australia and they’ll find out pretty quickly what playing Ashes cricket and playing against a good Australian cricket team is all about,” Ponting was quoted saying on the ICC Review podcast.
“And if Ollie Robinson hasn’t learned that already after last week, then he’s a slow learner. Some of the things he had to say – I mean he even brought my name into it, which I felt was a little bit unusual, but for me it’s water off a duck’s back.
“If he is sitting back thinking about me, then no wonder he bowled like the way that he did in that game, if he’s worried about what I did 15 years ago. He’ll learn pretty quickly that if you’re going to talk to Australian cricketers in an Ashes series, then you want to be able to back it up with your skills,” added the cricketer-turned-commentator.
On the fifth day of the Test, tensions between Khawaja and Robinson escalated, only diffusing when veteran England bowler James Anderson intervened to mediate between the two players.
