On the opening day of the Boxing Day Test, a heated confrontation developed between Pakistan pacer Shaheen Afridi and Australia’s Marnus Labuschagne. The intense competition between Shaheen Afridi and Marnus Labuschagne went viral on social media platforms.
The Pat Cummins-led team started the three-match series on a positive note with a 360-run win in the first Test at Perth. Pakistan captain Shan Masood opted to bowl first during the second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) on Tuesday, December 26.
Shaheen Afridi Sledges – Marnus Labuschagne (official music video)
During the second session, Shaheen Afridi He participated in sledding with Marnus Labuschagne, who showed resistance against challenging spells. Shaheen, aiming to unsettle Labuschagne, showed aggression but the Australian batsman maintained remarkable composure.
In the 41st over, Shaheen bowled from around the wicket and Labuschagne played a defensive shot towards the bowler. Shaheen resorted to heated words, but Labuschagne showed patience. The intense battle attracted widespread attention, with numerous photographs and videos circulating on social media platforms.
Shaheen Afridi X Marnus Labuschagne – The Best Of Shaheen Afridi Welcome back Sheenu ❤️ 🔥👀
|| #PAKvsFAIR || #AUSvPAK || #Shaheen || pic.twitter.com/2R1zKesBoU-Haris Arshad (@harris00071) December 26, 2023
No way Shaheen is sledding Marnus with this kind of beat 💀💀💀💀💀
— (@hvmmad1) December 26, 2023
Pakistan recovers with the ball in the second session
Australia dominated in the first session, with openers David Warner and Usman Khawaja amassing 90 runs for the first wicket. Warner fell to part-time Agha Salman on the verge of lunch. Warner scored 38 runs off 83 deliveries, including three boundaries.
Pakistan applied pressure in the second session, dismissing Khawaja for 42 runs. Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith faced challenging bowling, consolidating the innings. The hosts reached a total of 114-2 and rain interrupted play, prompting an early tea on Tuesday.
Shaheen faced a challenging performance in the series opener, securing just two wickets. However, the pacer created a chance to dismiss David Warner during the first session of the second Test but Abdullah Shafique dropped a simple catch at first slip.
We support Usman Khawaja – Pat Cummins
In a press conference on Monday, Australia captain Pat Cummins acknowledged that Usman Khawaja respectfully stands up for what he believes in. He expressed his support for Khawaja’s message of equality and peace represented by a dove symbol.
“I don’t know the ins and outs of the app, but I think it’s pretty vanilla, dove. We really support Uzzy, I think he stands up for what he believes in and I think he does it with a lot of respect. All lives are equal and I don’t think that’s very offensive, and I would say the same about the dove. That’s Uzzy. He can hold his head up high just like he has, but there are rules, so I think the ICC has said they are not going to approve that. They set the rules and you have to accept them.”
“I’ve talked to Uzzy quite a bit. I won’t go in too [much] depth, but it is very similar to what he has said publicly. She just sees all lives as equal, she sees the war there as a waste and there are a lot of losses that she is trying to shed light on that she believes are not necessary. We support it.”
Also Read: PAK vs AUS: Shaheen Afridi likely to be rested for 3rd Test against Australia to manage workload – Reports