England pace bowler Ollie Robinson grabbed headlines for all the wrong reasons after his comments about Australian players in a press conference during the first Ashes 2023 Test at Edgbaston. However, Robinson’s fiery send-off after cleaning up Usman Khawaja made headlines and he was also asked whether he regretted that celebration. Robinson denied and claimed that even Australians used to do the same, naming legendary former captain Ricky Ponting.

While speaking to ESPNCricinfo ahead of England’s tour of India, Ollie Robinson said: “Looking back, mentioning Ricky Ponting in a press conference wasn’t the smartest thing to do. But I’ve watched so much cricket, I’ve seen so many of them do the same thing to the opposition. I just thought it was so funny that they were then getting stuck into me for the same thing they used to do.”

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Robinson further added: “I remember waking up that week and people were texting me saying, ‘Oh Matt Hayden’s said this, [Adam] Gilchrist said this, Fox Sports have said this.’ Every morning, someone else would come out of the woodwork and have their 20p. But I enjoy that sort of thing, I feel like it really motivates me.”

However, Ollie Robinson had also commented on Australia’s lower order, claiming that they had a batting line-up with ‘three No.11s’, naming Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland, and Josh Hazlewood as well.

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“Even the No. 11s thing: you say something, someone snicks off for none and you look like a genius. Or they hit the winning runs and you look like a fool. But it’s one of those things – you take the risk. If it comes off, it comes off. If it doesn’t, you hold your hands up. I just felt like that press conference, it was the right thing to say at the time. That’s all you can do, really, is say what you feel at the time,” Ollie Robinson concluded.