Usman Khawaja scored 141 of Australia’s first-innings 386 on Sunday and played so well that “it felt like we were never going to get him out,” according to Ollie Robinson. He defended his foul-mouthed send-off, telling his detractors, “I don’t really care how you perceived it – it’s the Ashes, it’s professional sport, if that’s something you can’t handle, what else can you handle?”
Robinson’s yorker that took out off-stump brought a stop to Khawaja’s inning, prompting an impassioned celebration in which he exclaimed, “Fuck off you fucking prick.”
Robinson said: “For me it’s my first home Ashes, and to get the big wicket at the time was special for me. Uzzy played unbelievably well and to get that wicket was massive. We all want that theatre of the game don’t we? I’m here to provide it.”
When Australian journalists continued to question Robinson about the incident the England seamer accused them of hypocrisy. “When you’re in the heat of the moment and you have the passion of the Ashes that can happen,” he said. “I think we’ve all seen Ricky Ponting and other Aussies do the same to us, and just because the boot’s on the other foot it’s not received well.”
“Usman Khawaja hasn’t said anything. “It’s the Ashes, sometimes it’s going to be hostile,” he said. “I actually didn’t see anything over the top there” in addition he said.
More memorable for Australia was the remarkable period between rain delays in the afternoon when in the space of 22 deliveries they took two wickets for two runs to leave England 28 for two in their second innings, leading by 35. “The lights came on, the ball was moving around and it was pretty exciting,” Carey said.