'He'll Get Ripped Apart if He...': Justin Langer Issues 'Warning' to Ollie Robinson
Former Australia coach Justin Langer | Source: Twitter
Former Australia head coach Justin Langer warned Ollie Robinson that he would get ‘ripped apart’ if he failed to deliver with the ball in the remainder of the five-match Ashes series.
Notably, Australia defeated England by two-wickets in a thrilling Ashes opener at Edgbaston in Birmingham in the first Test to take an early 1-0 lead in the series.
The highly electrifying clash witnessed its fair share of action, drama, and verbal exchanges, by both teams in a captivating battle.
However, in the midst of the Test match, Ollie Robinson gave Australia's Usman Khawaja a foul-mouthed send off after dismissing him for 141 runs, which didn’t sit well with the Australia camp.
The likes of Ricky Ponting, and Matthew Hayden have lashed out at the England pacer for his disrespect behaviour towards Khawaja in the opening Test. The latest addition to this list is the former head coach of Australia Justin Langer.
Here’s what Justin Langer wrote in his column in The Telegraph:
“The interesting thing now will be how Robinson, and England, react to this. Will there be more animosity to come? Will he be England’s sledger-in-chief for the rest of the series?
If he is, his mates must all back him up or Ollie will get ripped apart if he dishes it out without delivering. He might say it doesn’t bother him, but these things tend to have a cumulative effect over time.”
Furthermore, Justin Langer shed light on Ricky Ponting's response to Ollie Robinson's mention of Australia's past on-field actions as a justification for his own actions.
Ponting, in a conversation with ICC Review Podcast expressed his displeasure at being dragged into the controversy by the England pacer.
Justin Langer's reaction was to point out that if the Robinsons or anyone else were to go after Ricky Ponting, Australia's revered cricketing legend, they would have to face the backlash from the entire nation.
“Sledge ex-captain Ponting, the much-loved little master of Australia, and there is always going to be a backlash. You’re taking on an entire country here. It was always going to provoke a reaction from Aussies back home and here. Like a junk-yard dog, we protect our own. Great teams hunt in numbers, that was one of the strengths of previous teams I have played in."
The second Test between England and Australia will be played from Wednesday, June 28 at the iconic Lord's.
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