Ollie Robinson gave bleating Aussies short shrift after he was accused of giving Usman Khawaja an F-bomb send-off.
And he shrugged: “We want that theatre in the game, and I'm here to provide it.” Thundery rain curtailed the third day of the opening Ashes Test – but it wasn't the only storm at Edgbaston as England finished on 28-2, a lead of 35.
TV replays appeared to catch the England paceman giving Khawaja some abrupt advice after ending the Australian opener's superb eight-hour century with a stunning yorker.
Social media lip-readers claim Robinson chuntered “F*** off” in his follow-through. But the Aussies have not complained and Robinson, 29, hit back: “I don't really care how it's received, to be honest – it's the Ashes, it's professional sport.
“If you can't handle that, what can you handle? We want that theatre in the game, and I'm here to provide it. In the heat of the moment, and you have the passion of the Ashes, that can happen.
“We have all seen Ricky Ponting and other Aussies do the same to us – just because the shoe is on the other foot does that mean it's not the same for us?
“For me, it's my first home Ashes and to take such a big wicket was special because he had played unbelievably well. To take that wicket was massive at that time.”
Asked if he expected to hear from match referee Andy Pycroft about his conduct, Robinson snapped: “I don't want to comment.” The Sussex seamer finished with 3-55 as the Aussies lost their last four wickets for 14 runs in 21 balls in a barrage of short-pitched bowling.
As England skipper Ben Stokes set a wacky 'umbrella' field, with half a dozen close catchers in front of the bat, Robinson uprooted Khawaja's off stump with a full-length missile.
Pulling no punches, Robinson claimed the Aussies had played “defensively” over the first two days, adding: “We've made them play that way with the aggressive nature of the way we've gone about it.”
England lost openers Ben Duckett and Zak Crawley in the space of four balls second time around during a torrid window when conditions were barely playable.
But Robinson insisted: “That's part of the game – if the umpires say it's fit to play, we crack on and there will be no excuses from us.”
On his 36th birthday, Moeen Ali was fined 25 per cent of his match fee – around £3,750 – for applying an unauthorised drying spray on his blistered spinning finger.
The spray is not illegal, but the umpires had expressly prohibited players from using anything on their hands without prior approval.
The International Cricket Council accepted Moeen was only attempting to dry his hands and not the more serious offence of trying to alter the condition of the ball.
