[Watch] Marnus Labuschagne departs right after Stuart Broad distracts him with a mind game on Day 2 of 5th Ashes Test
England pacer Stuart Broad played a smart mind game with Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne on the second day of the fifth Ashes 2023 Test at the Kennington Oval in London.
Right before Labuschagne's departure in Australia's first innings on Friday, July 28, Broad casually went up to the stumps at the striker's end and rearranged the bails before strolling back to his fielding position.
Labuschagne, who was the batter at that end, also inspected the bails after Broad left. The Australian batter got out soon after as he edged Mark Wood's quick delivery to the slip fielder. Labuschagne was disappointed and let out his frustration before walking back to the pavilion.
You can watch the incident in the video below:
𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲: Stuart Broad
𝗢𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Mind Games Extraordinaire
Incredible, Broady 😂👏
#EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/MdeuNgrN2F
The 29-year-old did not look in great rhythm during his stay at the crease as he went into a shell and scored only nine runs after facing 82 balls.
Australian top and middle order failed in the first innings as they collapsed to 185/7 in the second session. Usman Khawaja (47 in 157 balls), David Warner (24), and Mitchell Marsh (16) got starts but could not capitalize on them, leaving their side in a troubling situation.
"That's not the David Warner we know"- Michael Vaughan after Australian opener's indifferent batting form in Ashes 2023
Former England captain Michael Vaughan opined that David Warner is not doing himself any favors by repeatedly failing to perform with the bat in Ashes 2023.
Vaughan pointed out that the ball is not moving as much as it did during the Ashes 2019, which should favor Warner's aggressive game style. He told Cricbuzz:
"What he is doing is making the selectors' job hard. What he has a chance of doing in this series is making their job easy by scoring runs. That's not the David Warner we know. Getting in on so many occasions, he's not facing the Dukes ball from back in 2019. That was whipping around corners. This is doing very little."
He added:
"And the ball that does little and from what I've seen David Warner in the past, particularly in Australia when it doesn't do a great deal, he just explodes. He's always putting the bowlers under pressure. Not seeing that from Warner."
Do you agree with Michael Vaughan's views? Sound off in the comments section.