Aussie greats Ponting, Hayden turn up the heat on ranter Robinson

Ricky Ponting, Matthew Hayden and Ollie Robinso

England seamer Ollie Robinson has come under severe criticism for his aggressive send-off of Australian batter Usman Khawaja during the first Ashes Test at Edgbaston. After dismissing Khawaja for 141 in Australia's first innings, the Englishman mouthed a few expletives towards the Aussie while celebrating and later defended his reaction, saying it's part of "the theatre of the game."

According to a report in the Sydney Morning Herald, sources close to match officials have claimed that Robinson received a warning rather than severe punishment for his aggressive behaviour as it was felt that his reaction was "an exaggerated celebration rather than a send-off." The report further added that match referee Andy Pycroft took no official action against Robinson and that the International Cricket Council said it does not comment on the referee's decisions.

Aussies, however, enjoy giving it back and former Ricky Ponting didn't hesitate to take aim at Robinson for dragging his name while defending his aggression. When questioned about his behaviour towards Khawaja, Robinson had said: "We've all seen Ricky Ponting, other Aussies do the same to us. Just because the shoe is on the other foot it's not received well."

Also Read: How can Ollie get away?

Ponting shot back at Robinson while speaking on the ICC Review podcast: "This England team hasn't played against Australia and they'll find out pretty quickly what playing Ashes cricket against a good Australian cricket team is all about. If Ollie Robinson hasn't learned that already after last week, then he's a slow learner. And, if he's sitting back thinking about me and worried about what I did 15 years ago then no wonder he bowled the way that he did in that game. He'll learn pretty quickly that if you're going to talk to Australian cricketers in an Ashes series, then you want to be able to back it up with your skills."

Another Australian legend Matthew Hayden also slammed Robinson. "As soon as Pat Cummins started coming at Joe Root and hit a couple of sixes... then the other bloke [Robinson], he's a forgettable cricketer. A fast bowler that is bowling 124 [kmph] and he's got a mouth from the south," Hayden said on Sen Radio.

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