'I don't really care': Robinson stands by Khawaja send-off

England fast bowler Ollie Robinson has put his hand up for the role of England's 2023 Ashes villain, defiantly declaring he does not care how his send-off to Usman Khawaja will be perceived and suggesting he was only following in the footsteps of Australian sledgers of yesteryear.

Robinson described his choice words for Khawaja after a Ben Stokes-inspired plan saw the Australian finally dismissed for 141 after an eight-hour vigil on Sunday as "theatre of the game", while also praising the opener's innings that underpinned the visitors' first-innings at Edgbaston.

Alex Carey said he had not seen anything "over the top" but the England quick could face the wrath of the match referee, Andy Pycroft, who has already handed down one sanction to the Ashes hosts for Moeen Ali's use of a drying agent on his spinning finger.

"It's my first home Ashes. To get the big wicket at the time was special for me. Uzzy played unbelievably well. To get that wicket for us at the time was massive," Robinson told reporters at stumps on day three.

"We all want that theatre of the game, so I am here to provide it.

"I don't really care how it is perceived to be honest.

"It's the Ashes, it's professional sport. If you can't handle that, what can you handle?"

Asked if abusing an opposition player is part of the theatre of the game, Robinson replied: "It's not. But when you're in the heat of the moment and you have the passion of the Ashes, that can happen.

"We've all seen Ricky Ponting and other Aussies do the same to us, and just because the shoe is on the other foot it's not received well."

Robinson refused to comment on whether he expected to be punished by the International Cricket Council.

The governing body has the power to sanction players for "any language, action or gesture used by a player and directed towards a batter upon his/her dismissal which has the potential to provoke an aggressive reaction".

That includes "verbally abusing the dismissed batter" though the ICC's code of conduct also reads that the regulations are not "intended to stop players celebrating, in an appropriate fashion, the dismissal of the opposing team’s batter".

"I didn't see it," said Carey, who had been dismissed for 66 a short time before the incident on day three.

"Usman hasn't said anything. It's an Ashes, at times it is going to be pretty exciting and hostile cricket. I was sitting there disappointed on getting out, but didn't see anything over the top there."

Robinson, who finished with 3-55, revealed the wicket that prompted his outburst was part of a scheme devised with Stokes which drew on bowling on flat wickets in Pakistan last year.

"Stokesy came up to me the ball before (the wicket) and said, 'What did we do in Pakistan' and I said 'I think we had an umbrella field'. He said, 'Let's just go for it shall we?" the 29-year-old recounted.

"He said, 'what are you going to bowl?' and I said, 'I could bowl a slowie or I could bowl a yorker' and he said, 'go for a yorker first-up'.

"I just went for a yorker, Uzzy came down the wicket and played a different sort of shot to what he's been playing and luckily it hit the off-stump.

"It was one of those plans that comes off and Stokesy looks like a genius."

2023 Qantas Ashes Tour of the UK

First Test: Friday June 16-Tuesday June 20, Edgbaston

Second Test: Wednesday June 28-Sunday July 2, Lord’s

Third Test: Thursday July 6-Monday July 10, Headingley

Fourth Test: Wednesday July 19-Sunday July 23, Old Trafford

Fifth Test: Thursday July 27-Monday 31, The Oval

Australia squad: Pat Cummins (c), Scott Boland, Alex Carey (wk), Cameron Green, Marcus Harris, Josh Hazlewood, Travis Head, Josh Inglis (wk), Usman Khawaja, Marnus Labuschagne, Nathan Lyon, Mitch Marsh, Todd Murphy, Michael Neser, Matthew Renshaw, Steve Smith (vc), Mitchell Starc, David Warner

England squad: Ben Stokes (c), James Anderson, Jonathan Bairstow, Stuart Broad, Harry Brook, Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett, Dan Lawrence, Jack Leach, Ollie Pope, Matthew Potts, Ollie Robinson, Joe Root, Josh Tongue, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood