Labuschagne Claps Back at Warner: 'Check My Gully Catches'
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New Delhi, Dec 13 (NationPress) Australia’s leading batsman Marnus Labuschagne has hit back at David Warner after the latter expressed doubts regarding his performance in the Adelaide Test, prompting him to check the number of times he’s been caught at gully.
Labuschagne ended his recent slump with a confident 64 during Australia’s dominant ten-wicket victory at the Adelaide Oval. However, Warner had a different perspective, suggesting he remained unconvinced about Labuschagne's return to form and pointed out his perceived lack of awareness that led to a catch at gully off Nitish Kumar Reddy’s bowling.
"I’m still not convinced with Marnus. I don’t think that was anywhere near what we know he’s capable of. He might have got a couple out of the middle, got a couple of freebies, batted well that night to get through but they bowled poorly.
“So from that perspective, he had the best conditions to come out and bat in. But he got out the same way he always does when he gets over 50, hitting it straight to gully. 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," Warner stated in an interview with Fox Sports.
In response, Labuschagne told News Corp on Friday, “I would like to see him check how many times I’ve been caught at gully, because apparently I get out there every week. I’ve looked back and I think I can only remember getting caught at gully twice. So I might have to have a look at Bull’s (Warner’s) comment there. But like I said, everyone’s here to write newspapers, write articles.”
Labuschagne also expressed surprise about being singled out for his batting approach. "It’s a two-edged sword. The week before, I wasn’t playing enough shots, and then this week, people are unhappy because you’re playing too many shots. At the end of the day, I’m not here to please everyone. I’m here to win games for Australia."
"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 repeat that. When I get that opportunity again, I’ll ensure I convert it into a big score.
"(I was a) little bit disappointed getting out at the stage I did last week, but that’s part of the game. The benefit is that it allowed someone else to take advantage of that, which is good," he concluded.
