David Warner and Marnus Labuschagne | Image:
Fox/AP
Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne has fired back at former teammate and commentator David Warner for criticizing his batting technique. Labuschagne, who has been struggling with his form, responded to Warner’s comments by saying that everyone has an opinion and is trying to write newspapers and articles.
The controversy began when David Warner expressed his disappointment with Marnus Labuschagne’s performance in the pink-ball Test against India, where Australia won by 10 wickets to level the series. Warner claimed that Labuschagne had a “lack of awareness” after being dismissed caught in the gully.
Marnus Labuschagne hits backs at David Warner
Marnus Labuschagne, however, was quick to defend himself, pointing out that David Warner’s criticism was unfair and inaccurate. “I’d like to see him check how many times I’ve been caught at gully, because apparently, I get out there every week,” Labuschagne said. “I’ve looked back, and I think I can only remember getting caught at gully twice.”
David Warner had earlier stated that he was “not convinced” by Marnus Labuschagne’s performance, saying that he didn’t think Labuschagne was anywhere near his best. However, Labuschagne remained unfazed by Warner’s criticism, saying that he is focused on winning matches for Australia, not on convincing anyone about his return to form.
“So there’s a lack of awareness there of what he’s got to be mindful of. I don’t think he’s anywhere near where he should be.” Labuschagne, who was dismissed for 2 and 3 in the two innings at Perth, hasn’t scored a Test century since last year’s Ashes series.
“I’m watching the game, and I’m trying to play pretty naturally,” the 30-year-old said.
“I mean, hitting a cut shot, the ball was there. It was a little bit short, and I tried to hit the ball through backward point, skidded on a little bit more, and I got a bit late, and (Yashasvi Jaiswal) took a very good catch. It’s a two-edged sword.
“Week before, I wasn’t playing enough shots, and then this week, people are unhappy because you’re playing too many shots. So at the end of the day, I’m not here to please everyone. I’m here to win games for Australia.” Labuschagne said he is focused on winning matches for Australia, not on convincing anyone about his return to form.
“It’s not about trying to convince people I’m back or not. For me, it’s about winning games for Australia and finding ways to score runs. That’s what I did last week and hopefully we can have a repeat. And when I get that opportunity again, and get myself in, I’ll make sure to convert it into a big score,” he said.
“(I was a) little bit disappointed getting out at the stage I did last week, but that’s part of the game. And the benefit is that it was able to set up for someone else to take advantage of that, which is good.” The third Test begins here on Saturday.
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