First it was Cameron Green, now Marnus Labuschagne is being called a cheat by England fans after claiming he made a dodgy catch to sack Ollie Robinson
- Marnus Labuschagne called a cheat by England fans
- Labuschagne claimed a flyout where the ball hit grass
- Fans chanted ‘Same old Aussies, always cheating’
Marnus Labuschagne has been labeled a cheater by England cricket fans after claiming he made a stunning catch to remove Ollie Robinson during the opening Ashes Test at Edgbaston.
The excited Birmingham crowd gave it to the Aussies on day four of the game, and Cameron Green also took over from the Barmy Army on day three after making a remarkable catch to send Ben Duckett off Scott Boland’s bowling alley.
As Green’s catch was judged and handed out, the crowd chanted, “Same old Aussies, always cheating.”
As England scrambled for runs on day four, it was Labuschagne’s turn to grill as he dove forward in an attempt to grab with one hand after tailman Ollie Robinson gloved a Josh Hazlewood delivery into the air.
Labuschagne was criticized by England cricket fans for celebrating a non-catch he claimed sacked Ollie Robinson (pictured)
Replays showed the ball had scraped the turf (pictured) — and fans weren’t shy about letting Labuschagne know all about it
Labuschagne immediately celebrated, but the officials on the field sent the decision up and it was not long before the third official confirmed that the catch was not real.
Replays showed the Aussie took the ball cleanly – but the ball had scraped the turf.
Unsurprisingly, the crowd was not happy and chanted ‘Same old Aussies, always cheating’ across the floor – the same song they sang to Green and used at other points in the thrilling match.
Australia need 174 runs and England seven wickets to secure a famous Ashes victory after Stuart Broad’s exploits ensured the captivating series opener would go into day five with everything to play for.
With a set of 281 to win, Australia fell from 0-61 to 3-107 on stumps, after David Warner, Marnus Labuschagne and Steve Smith all fell in a span of eight dramatic overs late Monday.
Broad was the main destroyer for England, trailing the world’s two top-ranked batsmen with Labuschagne nipping to an outswinger and Smith an inswinger.
That has left centurion Usman Khawaja in the first innings as Australia’s leading man at Edgbaston, still on the crease at 34no with night watchman Scott Boland at the other at 13.
“It probably wasn’t our best 40 minutes losing Marnus, Steve and Davey, but you’ve got to give credit where it’s due, England bowled well,” said Australian spinner Nathan Lyon.
The rowdy Birmingham crowd was not happy about the dubious catch, chanting ‘Same old, Aussies always cheating’ across the floor
Australia need 174 runs and England seven wickets to secure a famous Ashes win
“But I stand with our guys, I’m very confident that our guys can go out and hit well.
“It’s an exciting test match and it’s been a great way to start the series.”
Rain is forecast for Tuesday morning in Birmingham and it will clear by lunchtime, leaving all results still on the table.
In a Test where no team was really in control, Australia briefly had the upper hand on Monday night.
Warner looked as good as he had at any point in the last three years as he made his way to 36 on a wicket with no pace.
But going down to Ollie Robinson at 36, the door was open for Broad to get the Edgbaston crowd into gear as he delivered on his plan to take out Labuschagne (13) and Smith (6) this summer.
“Obviously they’re No. 1 and No. 2 in the world, they know what they’re doing.” Broad said.
“One thing we know as a bowling group, you have to put pressure on them early. When they get to 30 or 40, they’re not giving it away cheaply.
“Today was one of those days that sums up Ashes cricket.
‘You think you’re ahead of the game and you lose a wicket. And the Aussies would have thought so too.’