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Australia faced a big setback as their star batter Marnus Labuschagne sustained a hand injury during the first Test against Pakistan on Saturday, December 16. The incident occurred on Day 3, during Australia's second innings, adding to the difficulties faced by the batters on the challenging Perth pitch.
Both Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne endured tough moments, facing some fierce deliveries that required medical intervention. While Smith managed to cope without evident distress, Labuschagne appeared to be in considerable discomfort.
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Labuschagne's injury resulted from a delivery by Pakistan's Khurram Shahzad, which unexpectedly jagged off the surface, striking him on the pinky finger of his right hand. Despite immediate medical attention at the crease, he continued to play through the pain.
However, the injury seemed to significantly affect his performance, as he lost his wicket soon after. Continuous medical attention followed, and the star batter will be undergoing scans to assess the severity of his injury.
Meanwhile, Australian pacer Josh Hazlewood provided an update on Labuschagne's condition, noting that the finger appeared sore and confirming that Labuschagne would undergo a scan to determine the extent of the injury.
As quoted by Cricket.com.au, Hazlewood told reporters,"He was just with the doc and physio for the last hour just chatting through it, doing a few tests on the finger. I daresay there might be a scan … he was pretty sore I think.”
Usman Khawaja, who witnessed Marnus Labuschagne's injury from the non-striker's end, conceded that the incident appeared quite grim. He acknowledged Labuschagne's resilience but expressed concern over the fact that the right-handed batsman was visibly in pain, a rare sight given his usual toughness."
Speaking to Fox Cricket, he said,"It didn’t look pretty. Marnus is a pretty tough character. When he takes his glove and starts to do that I get a bit worried, because he’s a pretty tough guy.”
Labuschagne managed to score only two runs from 18 deliveries in his innings. As for the match situation, Australia have established a substantial lead of 300 runs. Following their impressive first innings total of 487, they dismissed their opponents for 271 runs. Australia concluded Day 3 at 84/2 in their second innings.
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