Day 2 of the third Test at The Gabba in Brisbane saw Mohammed Siraj try to disrupt Marnus Labuschagne’s focus, and Matthew Hayden wasn’t pleased with his response.
On Sunday, December 15, Australia lost their opening batsmen early in the innings, but Labuschagne and Steve Smith salvaged it by batting cautiously. While the Indian pacers bowled with great heart, both of them made it through a few near misses.
Siraj walked by Labuschagne and flicked the bails in the 33rd over of the Australian innings. The hitter quickly returned them to their starting positions, though. The audience found the gamesmanship moment fascinating. Although it appeared that Labuschagne had everything under control, the gifted Nitish Kumar Reddy dismissed him in the next over.
Labuschagne tried to hit an expansive cover drive off the all-rounder’s bowling, but he succeeded in breaking the shackles. At second slip, Virat Kohli safely took the thick outside edge he managed to control. Labuschagne finished with a cautious 12-run knock off 55 balls.
Since the 30-year-old was terminated after just a few deliveries following the incident, Matthew Hayden believes he should have handled Siraj’s antics with greater poise.
“He has had no progress at all, after seeing 55 deliveries. even if I was at the crease and a bowler did that brief exchange. My concern has not diminished. Even the bowler is out of my line of sight. I’m in no way condoning what he’s doing. I’m far from his space. “I probably would have told him to leave my space before he even reached the bails,” Hayden stated in a Star Sports commentary.
The animosity between Siraj and Labuschagne was an old one. Labuschagne withdrew from a delivery because of crowd disruption during the first Test in Perth, and Siraj tossed the ball angrily towards the stumps, starting their on-field banter. Siraj was booed by the Australian crowd after this occurrence, which made him a villain in their eyes. This behaviour persisted at the Gabba.
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