Australia camp got a major scare ahead of the second Ashes 2023 Test when ace batter Marnus Labuschagne suffered an injury while batting in the nets. Australia is 1-0 up in the five-Test series as they won the first match in Edgbaston by 2 wickets, beating England’s ‘bazball’ tactics.
Labuschagne failed to perform in the Ashes 2023 opener as the batter got out for a duck in the first innings and followed it up with a score of 13 in the second innings. However, he has made significant contributions to the field.
Labuschagne’s week just took a turn for the worse when the top batsman collapsed in agony during an extended net session at Lord’s after taking a blow to the hand.
He Would Have Walked Out: Michael Di Venuto On Marnus Labuschagne’s Injury
In one of the throwdowns, Labuschagne was reportedly in extreme pain, kneeling on the ground, and “howling in discomfort” before seeking medical help, according to CODE Sports.
Fortunately, Labuschagne kept on batting, and Australian assistant coach Michael Di Venuto showed little worry after that.
“He kept on batting so he must‘ve been OK, Otherwise he would have walked out. He‘s got a finger that has copped a couple of knocks. I think he just got another one. He said it felt better because the blood started to flow through or something. So it makes sense if that’s what you want,” Michael Di Venuto said.
“They (Labuschagne and Smith) got wind of a net session that we had organized for the guys that hadn‘t been playing. They have had a few days off shadow-batting in their rooms. They got itchy feet. So we welcomed them down here to hit cricket balls as they both love doing,” Michael Di Venuto added.
With just two half-centuries in his previous 17 innings at an average of 33.14, Marnus Labuschagne is in a rut with the willow. Additionally, Joe Root deposed him as the top Test batter in the world in the most recent ICC men’s Test batting rankings update.