Star batsman Marnus Labuschagne, who injured his finger during Australia’s 360-run victory over Pakistan in the first Test, said he was healthy for the Boxing Day Test.
During the third day of the first Test, Khurram Shahzad, making his debut for Pakistan, struck the right-handed batsman on his finger with a rearing delivery that cleared a length. After immediately obtaining medical attention, Labuschagne went back to batting a few minutes later.
“There is no break in the finger. It is OK. It kind of jammed up my hand, hitting me more on the knuckle side. It just put me in a little uncomfortable situation. It just didn’t feel that pleasant because one side of the glove was devoid of cushioning. I felt a little anxious. It felt a little different, even though I’ve had a lot of finger strikes. According to Labuschagne, it was a little painful overnight. This information was cited by ESPNcricinfo.
Usman Khawaja and Steven Smith were two more players that ended up taking hits to their arms while batting, in addition to Labuschagne. On Day 4, Mitchell Marsh, the recipient of the Man of the Match award, took two blows to his helmet.
“Uz (Khawaja) appears to be doing well, and Steve is ok. When the fissures started to appear in the end, it was horrific. We’ve all played here a lot, are accustomed to the bounce, and some of us have solid Perth resumes. On a fast surface, though, nobody enjoys batting when the bounce is steep and there are ups and downs. That may not be to everyone’s taste, but sometimes you simply have to figure something out “Labuschagne remarked.
On December 16, the second Test will take place at the storied Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG). Having participated in 39 consecutive Test matches, Labuschagne thinks the surface will give the hitters a chance.
“The MCG wicket has changed so much over the last four years,” he stated. It’s probably started to resemble Adelaide quite a bit, with some seam and swing and a fair amount of grass. This surface, which had more bounce, would likely present a somewhat different challenge,” Labuschagne continued.