Former Australian great Glenn McGrath believes that players should back their words with performances if they resort to sledging. The veteran was citing the example of England seamer Ollie Robinson’s sledging of the Aussie batters in the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. However, Robinson made headlines with his fiery send-off after dismissing Usman Khawaja in the first innings.
In his column for the BBC Sport, McGrath wrote: “You have to back it up. If you don’t you can look silly. It’s easier as a bowler, because you have plenty of opportunities to take the wicket that proves you right. If you’re a batter, it takes one ball to prove you wrong. England arrive at Lord’s with more pressure on their shoulders. If they lose, I can’t see a way that they get back into the series. From that point of view, it’s interesting to see that Ollie Robinson and Zak Crawley have been vocal in the media. I have no problem with it, especially because I was always ready with a prediction or a target of an opposition batter during my playing days.”
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However, Crawley, who scored 61 in the first innings at Edgbaston, predicted that England will beat Australia in the second Test at Lord’s by 150 runs as well. Speaking about the conditions at Lord’s, McGrath added that the venue suits Scott Boland more but suggested that Mitchell Starc should be in the playing XI.
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“Mitchell Starc will be straining at the leash to play this week, especially after sitting out in Birmingham and playing just once on the last tour in 2019,” he said. “It could be that the Lord’s conditions are more suited to Boland’s pitch-up, nibble-around style, but I’m not sure Australia will want to leave Starc out for two consecutive matches,” he concluded.
