“Well played, Marnus”: Marnus Labuschagne motivates himself amid facing barrage of short balls by Ben Stokes

Marnus Labuschagne motivates himself: The Australian batter put on display resolute defensive period of batting at the Adelaide Oval today.

During the first day of the ongoing second Ashes 2021-22 Test between Australia and England in Adelaide, Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne faced a barrage of short deliveries mostly against England all-rounder Ben Stokes.

Labuschagne, who is known for his batting shenanigans, was resolute in his approach towards facing the short-ball attack. Having successfully ducked under a Stokes bouncer, Labuschagne was heard on the stump mic motivating himself by saying “Well Played, Marnus”.

Bowling his first spell before the lunch break, Stokes had started to bowl the short stuff to Labuschagne. In the 23rd over, Labuschagne had nailed a gap between first and third slip to find a boundary off Stokes.

With England captain Joe Root bringing Stokes for his second spell in the evening session, the latter once again attacked Labuschagne with short stuff. Had it not been for a drop catch down the leg-side by England wicket-keeper Jos Buttler, Stokes would’ve dismissed Labuschagne in the 35th over.

While the battle between these two has continued since at the Adelaide Oval, Labuschagne appears to be the winner for still standing his ground. Australia, who had lost Marcus Harris (3) against the new ball, have bettered their position on the back of individual half-centuries from David Warner and Labuschagne while putting together a 100+ partnership for the second wicket.

Marnus Labuschagne motivates himself amid facing barrage of short balls at Adelaide Oval

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