‘Final humiliation’: ‘Illegal’ Marnus Labuschagne act is a new low

An “illegal” act from an Aussie star has got the cricket world talking as Australian endured its “darkest day” in eight years.

Not like this. Not like this.

Marnus Labuschagne is facing the crushing reality that he may be playing his final Test match after a humiliating third day of the first Test in Perth.

India took the Aussie team’s spirit on their way to 6/487 declared and then broke the home side’s back with three quick wickets in the final overs of the day.

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It has been described as the “darkest day” Australian cricket has known on home soil since the Hobart Test against South Africa in 2016 that saw mass changes to the Aussie XI.

The most wretched sight of all was when Labuschagne was handed the ball.

The second ugliest was when he was roasted for a desperate review after shouldering arms to a delivery from Jasprit Bumrah delivery where the ball tracking footage showed the ball was going on to hit middle stump. He was gone for three. He only managed two runs from 52 balls in the first innings.

The moment that has caused the most anger happened earlier in the day when Pat Cummins put the part-timer into bowl his right arm leg spin from around the wicket.

Australian tactics were torn to shreds. Photo: Fox Cricket.

The 30-year-old’s tactics of bowling down leg side to Kohli were described as “illegal” by Aussie Test legend Adam Gilchrist in commentary on Fox Cricket.

He was warned by umpire Chris Gaffaney for “negative tactics”.

The ICC Men’s Test Match Playing Conditions state under law 22.1.4: “For bowlers who umpires consider to be bowling down the leg side as a negative tactic, the strict limited over Wide interpretation shall be applied.

“It is for the umpires to determine what counts as a ‘negative tactic’.”

Gilchrist was scathing.

“Have you ever seen such a despondent team of Australian cricketers, resorting to those tactics? What are deemed negative, illegal tactics really by the rulebook?” Gilchrist questioned.

“I’ve not seen that. I’m looking at this Australian side, they’re a terrific side, and for whatever reason they bowl out India for 150, then only bat well enough to only get 104, and then with the ball in hand they had periods where they bowled nicely but that last half an hour is something I’ve not seen in Australia,” former England Test captain Michael Vaughan added.

“Every boundary rider was on the fence, Labuschagne’s bowling around the wicket, he’s bowling negatively.”

He finished 0/38 from 6.3 overs.

Labuschagne had also been called up to bowl a spell of medium-pace on Day 3 where his toothless barrage of short bowling never threatened India’s batsmen.

Leading sport commentator Gerrard Whateley on Monday said on SEN: “It’s the worst tactic I’ve ever seen by an Australian team. I was appalled by it. It was undignified. I was glad Kohli treated it with disdain.”

It is Labuschagne’s batting, however, that will likely see him lose his place in the team ahead of the second Test in Adelaide, beginning December 6.

According to Code Sports, Labuschagne is now averaging 30.28 in Test cricket since February last year and just 13.66 in five Tests since the start of the series against the West Indies in mid-January.

Marnus Labuschagne didn't even have a crack, Photo: Twitter, 7Cricket.

Indian cricket commentator Sujeet Sumn wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “It’s unreal to see Marnus Labuschagne downfall in test cricket. He is not the same player who he used to be”.

Whateley also said on SEN Cricket the meek nature of Labuschagne’s LBW dismissal shows he needs to be replaced.

“It’s a scrambled mind, it’s a lost technique,” he said.

“You cannot go out there without the intention to use your bat. It’s so symbolic of where he finds himself in his game.

“He’s going to have to be relieved of his place in the team.”

He earlier said: “That’s the full humiliation for Marnus Labuschange. His deterioration as a Test cricketer. To go like that without offering.”

Labuschagne’s form is just the tip of the iceberg.

It has not been lost on commentators that there are no obvious candidates breaking the door down to replace him.

“I am seriously worried about the depth in Australian cricket,” cricket great Ravi Shastri told foxsports.com.au.

“There were times when players had to play years and years of cricket to make the cut. Mike Hussey, Matthew Hayden - years and years, and you look down the ranks there in Shield cricket and some of the youngsters coming through the ranks, there aren’t many there.

“When you look at the batting line up, a couple of guys in the evening of their career, on the other side of 30 – deep into the 30s, you want to have some depth.

“Australia will have to find something from somewhere.”

The reactions from some sections of Australian cricket has been brutal.

Cricket commentator Glenn Mitchell wrote on X: “A calamitous day for AUS at Perth Stadium. Could hardly have been worse”.

Vaughan on X wrote: “You don’t see many opposing teams completely embarrass Australia across the last session of a day’s play. We have just witnessed it”.

Sport journalist Tom Morris called it Australia’s “worst day” since the Bellerive disaster that resulted in six changes made to the 12-man squad.

“His position in the team is now untenable,” Morris said of Labuschagne on SEN.

“Australia cannot carry him any longer. This is stating the obvious. He averages 30 across his last 40 Test innings. It’s a remarkable fall from grace for a player widely viewed as a long-term first drop.”

He went on to say the likely defeat at Optus Stadium will force changes to be made.

“When this Test ends, Australian cricket is going to be in crisis,” he said.

Veterans Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith will try to salvage something when the Test resumes on Monday.

Originally published as ‘Final humiliation’: ‘Illegal’ Marnus Labuschagne act is a new low