The Australian cricket team suffered a major blow after star batsman Marnus Labuschagne suffered a blow to his hand during the ongoing first Test against Pakistan. The batsman was injured on Day 3 during the hosts’ second innings.
Perth’s pitching has not been kind to the batsmen with the Australian batsmen taking quite a few body blows. Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne suffered serious injuries and required medical attention. While Smith didn’t appear to be in much pain, Labuschagne was very uncomfortable.
Marnus Labuschagne was hit by Khurram Shahzad on the little finger of his right hand. The Pakistan pacer’s ball deflected and hit him on the hand. The physios rushed to treat him but he continued batting with that pain.
The pain seemed to have worried him greatly as he lost his wicket a few deliveries later. But even after that, Marnus Labuschagne received a lot of medical attention. With speculation rife about his injury, the batsman will now be examined.
Pacemaker Josh Hazlewood gave an update on Marnus Labuschagne’s injury and revealed his finger was hurting. He also confirmed that the batsman will undergo a scan. Speaking to reporters, he explained (quoted by Cricket.com.au):
“He was with the doctor and the physiotherapist for the last hour chatting and doing some tests on the finger. “I daresay there might have been a scan… I think he was quite sore.”
AUS vs PAK: It didn’t look pretty – Usman Khawaja on Marnus Labuschagne’s hit
Usman Khawaja, who was in the non-striker’s zone when Marnus Labuschagne took the hit, admitted it didn’t look pretty. He stressed that the right-hander is a tough guy but that wincing in pain was a sign of concern. Speaking to Fox Cricket, he explained:
“It didn’t look pretty. Marnus is a pretty tough character. When he takes his glove and starts doing that, I get a little worried, because he’s a pretty tough guy.”
Marnus Labuschagne scored only 2 runs in 18 balls. Coming into the match, Australia has taken a mammoth lead of 300 runs. After posting 487 runs on the board in the first innings, they bowled out their opponents for 271 runs and were 84/2 in their second innings at stumps on Day 3.
