England fast-bowler Ollie Robinson was all over the headlines following the send-off he gave to the Australian cricketer Usman Khawaja during the first Ashes Test. Several former cricketers and experts slammed Ollie for his attitude and rude behavior towards his opponent but the pacer defended his actions.
Ollie Robinson Receives Backlash Over Khawaja Send-off
For the unversed, Robinson has found himself under the scanner of criticism, especially from former Australia cricketers, for his expletive-laden send-off to Australian Opener, who was dismissed for 141 in the first innings of the first Ashes Test. Despite Robinson’s brilliant 5-wicket haul, he has been facing criticism from all corners.
Meanwhile, former England cricketer Nasser Hussain also opened up about the incident. Speaking on the latest episode of the ICC Review, Hussain gave the example of Virat Kohli and stated that Ollie isn’t the only one to give a send-off. He said:
“He’s not the first cricketer to give someone a send-off in an Ashes battle and there’re a few Aussies that have given send-offs over the years,”
He added: “I’ve sort of enjoyed the to-ing and fro-ing from Ricky. We had Ricky working with us at Sky (Sky Sports) and the WhatsApp group was going ballistic that night… of all the Australians Ollie Robinson could mention, he mentioned Ricky. Our WhatsApp group was very, very funny that night and I can’t tell you some of Ricky’s responses,”
“I wouldn’t be saying anything to Ollie Robinson (if I was England captain), apart from which end would you like to bowl and show us your skills,”
Nasser Hussain Gave Virat Kohli’s Example
During the interaction, Hussain also gave Kohli’s expressions as he drew attention to the passionate displays. Hussain highlighted how such emotions can impact a player’s performance. He said:
“Look at Kohli in India and the way he reacts, and there is emotion to the sport. He (Robinson) gave someone a send-off and I’m never a big fan of send-offs as when you get someone out, that’s enough. You’ve done it. You’ve got him out and you don’t have to tell him where the pavilion is,” he added.
“It’s the emotion of a cricketer and especially a fast bowler bowling on a turgid pitch in an Ashes battle,” Hussain noted.
“The emotion of a moment, like Kagiso Rabada in the face of Joe Root in Port Elizabeth, and I backed him up for that very reason because it’s an emotional game and people want to see your emotion as it matters and you should care.”
Further, speaking about the steps to stop Robinson from getting the limelight, Hussain siad that he’d prefer Robinson to stay out of focus for the rest of the series. He said:
“But I might be having a word with the media guy and saying I’m hearing too much from Ollie Robinson off the field and we have 10 other cricketers that can do the press and the media.
“The problem nowadays are the various outlets he might be writing or doing one of the websites…you get asked by various media outlets and then that’s magnified on social media.
“Just whoever is in charge, I don’t want to be hearing about Ollie Robinson off the field, so can we just keep him away from the press just for the next four Ashes games as it builds through the series and it becomes the centre of attention,”
