Usman Khawaja and Marnus Labuschagne. (Photo Source: Twitter)
Apart from the exciting cricketing action on the field, Ashes 2023 will also be remembered for the hostility of the English crowd towards Australian players. Following the long room drama at Lord’s, Marnus Labuschagne was subjected to another distasteful comment from the crowd on Day 3 of the fifth Test at the oval.
Notably, after the end of the day’s play, while going back to the dressing room, one of the England supporters poked Labuschagne with a comment that the cricketer didn’t enjoy. Opener Usman Khawaja too got involved in the conversation and asked the fan to calm down before taking Labuschagne back to the dressing room.
Not quite the MCC Long Room at Lords. But @marnus3cricket and @Uz_Khawaja clearly not happy with this Englishman at the end of a frustrating day 3 for the Aussies! #boring #Ashes #ENGvsAUS pic.twitter.com/i0m5wM8bUY
— Pat McCormick (@pat_mccormickk) July 30, 2023
The video of the incident went viral on social media as cricketers getting heckled by the fans has become common in the last few years. Star India batter Virat Kohli faced something similar a few years back in the Indian Premier League and thus, the International Cricket Council and the national boards need to address the problem immediately as the incidents may grow in number in coming years.
Australia aim for Ashes series win in England
Even though the visiting team managed to retain the Ashes, Australia will be eager to win the fifth and final Test in order to bag their first series win in England in 22 years. The Pat Cummins-led started well on Day 4 of the Test as the batters have shown a lot of promise in order to get the job done. Notably, Australia need 384 runs to win the match as the openers gave them a perfect start.
David Warner and Usman Khawaja looked rock solid in the middle, as their partnership could very well decide the fate of the match. The team scored 75 runs till lunch on Day 4 and will be hoping to keep up with the same momentum in order to build pressure on the home team. England meanwhile need something special with the ball, in order to bounce back.