‘Baz said it felt like we’d WON’: Ollie Robinson claims Australia were too NEGATVE in the first Test despite victory and insists they must be more aggressive if they are to win the Ashes
- Australia dramatically won the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston by two wickets
- England adopted an aggressive approach while the Aussies were more cautious
- Ollie Robinson said Australia must attack more if they are to retain The Ashes
Ollie Robinson has claimed Australia were too negative during the first Test at Edgbaston and that they need a rethink if they hope to retain the Ashes.
Australia’s two-wicket win in the opening Test was notable for a defensive approach.
And Robinson believes the tourists must adapt if they are going to win a series on these shores for the first time in 22 years. ‘It sounds weird because they won, but if they’re honest Australia will look at themselves and realise they need to change their approach to keep up with how we’re going to play,’ said Robinson.
‘If there’s any movement in the pitch at Lord’s, the way we’re playing compared to them is going to benefit us hugely. We were surprised how defensive Australia were and how unwilling they were to go toe-to-toe with us.
‘Baz (coach Brendon McCullum) said it after the game — “It feels like we won, lads. We’ve entertained the world and we’ve put the Aussies on the back foot”. For him to say that after a loss is quite significant for us.’
England bowler Ollie Robinson has claimed Australia were too negative during the first Test at Edgbaston and that they need a rethink if they hope to retain the Ashes this summer
Australia’s win was notable for a defensive approach in contrast to England’s aggression
Robinson was involved in a verbal spat with Usman Khawaja, giving the Aussie opener a colourful send-off after bowling him for 141 in the first innings, and clashing with him again during a drinks break on the last day.
Match referee Andy Pycroft did not believe either incident was serious enough for disciplinary action but Robinson made sure he talked to the player of the match later.
‘All bowlers do this when they’re fired up and trying to get a wicket for their team,’ Robinson told Wisden.com. ‘I spoke to Ussie afterwards and it was all good. He was like, “Mate, just be careful what you say”.
‘It was nothing against him and we had a good chat. He’s a nice guy and I’ve always got on well with him. I just got caught up in the moment. I was desperate for a wicket.’
Jimmy Anderson insisted yesterday that his fellow fast bowler had done nothing wrong.
Anderson, who only took one wicket in the match, also slammed the Edgbaston surface.
‘That pitch was like kryptonite for me,’ he told the Daily Telegraph. ‘If all the pitches are like that, I’m done in this Ashes series.’
The bowler also revealed Brendon McCullum’s super positive evaluation of the epic encounter
Robinson defended his verbal outburst at Usman Khawaja and said they spoke post-game
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