Ashes 2019: Stuart Broad speaks through stumps to request third umpire to deduct Labuschagne’s runs

The third Ashes Test between England and Australia is currently taking place at the Headingley in Leeds. The Aussies have been superlative and got the Three Lions by the scruff of their necks. During the course of the match, a bizarre incident took place, surrounding Stuart Broad, the English fast bowler. The occurring took place when the right-handed Marnus Labuschagne was batting.

Labuschagne scored 80 runs off 187 balls. His knock was laced with eight boundaries. He came to bat in the 12th over and stayed in the middle until the 74th over. His grit and determination helped the Aussies set the Brits a target of 359 in the fourth innings. In the meantime, Broad wasn’t happy and he took to the stump mic to communicate a message to third umpire Kumar Dharmasena.

Broad bowled a short delivery and the ball sped away to the boundary at the rate of knots. The on-field umpire signalled four runs and that agitated Broad. The fast bowler felt that the leather came off the helmet and Labuschagne was wrongly awarded four runs. Labuschagne was batting on 56 at that stage along with James Pattinson with Australia’s lead nearing the 300-run mark.

Broad has had a reasonable outing in the series. He has gotten wickets at regular intervals and finished with four wickets in the Leeds Test. In the second innings, the experienced campaigner got the prized wickets of opener David Warner and Tim Paine, the skipper of the visiting team.

Labuschagne’s excellent series

On the other hand, Labuschagne’s excellent run in the Ashes continued. He was roped in as a substitute for Steve Smith midway through the second Test at the Lord’s in London. Smith was hit around the neck by a bouncer from Jofra Archer and he was subsequently ruled out of the game.

Smith also didn’t play the third Test. Labuschagne’s first task was on the fifth day of the Lord’s Test and he sparked with a half-century that helped the Aussies save the game. In the first innings of the Leeds Test, the youngster churned out 74 runs with 10 fours. Now with the kind of form he is in, it would be tough to drop him for the fourth Test at the Old Trafford in Manchester.

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