Australian batter Travis Head has fired a warning at England antagonist Ollie Robinson on the cusp of the second Test of The Ashes, remarking that if he doesn't back up his brash words keen observers could be ready to pounce.
Robinson took the mantle from veteran quick Stuart Broad as England's chief villain during the first Test, won by Australia by two wickets, when he gave centurion Usman Khawaja a wild send-off.
At the end of that day's play, the pace bowler quipped that Australia had "three No.11s", swiping the batting abilities of Nathan Lyon, Scott Boland and Josh Hazlewood.
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A couple of days later, he had a tense exchange with Khawaja during Australia's fourth-innings run chase.
And in his first column for Wisden, Robinson panned Australia's tactics as "defensive" and discredited the visitors' win.
"If it wasn't for us, the Australians wouldn't have even had a chance to win," Robinson wrote.
Head hit back at Robinson in an interview with 9News.
"We're only going for the lunch, apparently," Head said with a laugh.
"Yeah, they have got this mantra they're going at. Not just on the field but off the field they are throwing some nice chat out, but this team (Australia) is truly just worried about what we need to do to win the second Test to go 2-0 up and to put some pressure on them."
Head scoffed at Robinson's attacks on Khawaja, the first of which came after he dismissed the prolific opener for 141.
"I find it pretty fun," Head said.
"I had a few quiet words, jovial words to him out there (in the fourth innings).
"It all makes for good fun and we'll see where the next four Tests go.
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"It didn't go his way in the first one but he's very competitive and he will want to step up.
"But if he doesn't, I think they have got a few people at home that might want to get up his back."
Barbs have also been fired by Broad, England coach Brendon McCullum and opener Zak Crawley.
The latter said on Times Radio that the English would win the second Test, to be played at Lord's, by 150 runs.
Broad accused Australia of hypocrisy in his Sunday Mail column.
"Weren't T-shirts being sold in Australia 10 years ago about me, with swear words on?" Broad wrote.
"Now a couple of expletives the other way and everyone is piling in.
"Where are we going with this?"
McCullum said that although the hosts had lost the Edgbaston Test, it felt like they had won, spruiking the "Bazball" style named after him.
Lyon batted away England's colourful antics.
"It's business as usual for us," Lyon said.
"We can't control what they're doing. We'll sit down as a team and we've identified the areas we believe we need to get better at."
The second Test will get underway on Wednesday.
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