Usman Khawaja has laughed off Ollie Robinson’s verbal volleys against him during the recently-concluded first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. The Australia opener starred with the bat in both the innings, scoring 141 and 65 to help his team earn a thrilling 2-wicket win.
As Usman Khawaja was fighting it out in the middle, Ollie Robinson did his best to upset him. The England pacer has faced severe criticism from the Australian cricket fraternity for giving an unpleasant send-off to the left-handed batsman after dismissing him for 141 in the first innings. “Fu*k you, you fu*king pr*ck,” Robinson was heard telling Khawaja.
The duo went toe to toe once again on a tense final day as the result was on the line. Before drinks in the rain-delayed first session, Robinson suggested Khawaja was batting with a defensive mindset as Australia chased 281 for the win.
“A freebie, isn’t it? A half-volley with the field up,” Robinson was heard telling Khawaja as he tried to get under the batsman’s skin for not being aggressive.
Usman Khawaja responds to Ollie Robinson:
Ollie Robinson’s ploy did not really unsettle Usman Khawaja as the opener batted for more than 13 hours during the first Test. He was adjudged Man of the Match for playing impressive knocks in both the innings. And after the game, Khawaja has now come up with a fitting response to the bowler, saying that it was all banter and that the match was played in good spirits.
“The other day, the crowd was so loud I had no idea,” Khawaja told reports.
“Today there was nothing much in it. Just a bit of friendly banter. This game was played in pretty good spirits for most of it. It’s not just about winning, it’s about how we win, which has changed a lot from past years I played cricket. I think the game was played in pretty good spirit … There wasn’t much in it,” he added.
Khawaja faced a total of 518 balls across two innings and will be looking to continue his impressive start in the second Test. The second match is scheduled to be played at Lord’s.