Defending Ollie Robinson, England vice-captain Ollie Pope has stated that his teammate can celebrate wickets in the way that he wants. The fast-bowler has faced severe criticism from the Australian cricket fraternity for his conduct during the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
Robinson has been in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons ever since he gave Usman Khawaja an expletive-laden send-off in the first innings. The right-arm pacer dismissed Khawaja to end his sublime knock of 141 runs and let the emotions get the better of him. He was caught by the cameras telling the Australia opener: ‘fu*k you, you fu*king pr*ick’.
Since then, he has faced heavy criticism from Australia fans and experts. Several former players have delivered brutal statement to target Robinson. Former Australia opener Matthew Hayden went as far as calling the bowler a ‘forgettable cricketer’.
Ollie Pope defends Robinson:
Ahead of the highly-anticipated second Test, Ollie Pope has not only defended his teammate but has also fired shots at Australia, saying that his teammate can celebrate the wickets in the way he wants. Pope also stated that Robinson’s send-off for Khawaja was nothing personal.
“I think Ollie is the kind of guy who gets in the battle. And sometimes I think in a big series like this, emotions almost take over while you’re on the pitch. But he’s a top guy, and I think in an Ashes series, these things are really brought to light,” said Pope as quoted by Hindustan Times.
“In the heat of the moment, obviously he was pumped up to get that wicket and it’s nothing personal in the way that he’s gone about it. That’s just the way he plays his cricket.
“I don’t know, I’ve not asked him. But if he can get on a good run, hopefully he can celebrate in the way he wants to celebrate. But he’s just going to go about his business in the way he does. He’s a high-quality bowler, so hopefully he can let the ball do all the talking,” he added.
Meanwhile, the second Test of the five-match series between England and Australia will be played at Lord’s from June 28. Australia are leading the series after winning the first Test by 2 wickets.