“Check how many times I’ve been caught at gully” - Marnus Labuschagne hits back at David Warner ahead of BGT 2024-25 3rd Test

Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne has responded to David Warner's criticism surrounding the recurring nature of his dismissals. Yashasvi Jaiswal caught him in the gully region during the second Test against India at the Adelaide Oval, and such has been the case for a while now.

Labuschagne was caught at gully during the Test series against New Zealand earlier this year as well when Glenn Phillips took a stunning catch, and he has been blamed for playing casual cut shots after settling into his innings.

Warner had highlighted the same after Labuschagne overcame his poor patch of form to score a gritty fifty in the first innings against the pink ball. While the right-handed batter earned praise among fans and pundits alike for helping Australia navigate through a rough phase of play, Warner remained unconvinced.

“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 get out when he gets over 50, hits it straight to gully," Warner told Fox Cricket (via The Roar).

Labuschagne defended his manner of dismissals while taking a sly dig at Warner during the process. He firstly refuted his former teammate's claim of repeated dismissals in the gully region, and asserted that he was not there to please anyone.

“I'd like to see him check how many times I’ve been caught at gully, because apparently I get out there every week," Labuschagne told News Corp (via The Roar).

“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 added.

He further explained how his cut shot at the Adelaide Oval during the second Test was a 'two-edged sword'.

“I mean, hitting a cut shot, the ball was there. It was a little bit short, and I tried to hit the ball through backward point, skidded on a little bit more, and I got a bit late, and (Yashasvi Jaiswal) took a very good catch. It’s a two-edged sword. Week before, I wasn’t playing enough shots, and then this week, people are unhappy because you’re playing too many shots. So the end of the day, I’m not here to please everyone. I’m here to win games for Australia," Labushcagne concluded.

The knock of 64 runs off 126 deliveries has eased a bit of pressure on Labuschagne. He retains his place in the playing XI at No.3 for the third Test at the Gabba, scheduled to begin from Saturday, December 14 onwards.

"It’s not about trying to convince people I’m back or not" - Marnus Labuschagne

Labuschagne was feeling the heat amid constant criticism, and the rise of Sam Konstas on the domestic circuit. He began the Border-Gavaskar series on a poor note, scoring just five runs across two innings in the mammoth 295-run defeat.

“It’s not about trying to convince people I’m back or not. For me, it’s about winning games for Australia and me finding ways to score runs. That’s what I did last week and hopefully we can have a repeat. And when I get that opportunity again, and get myself in to make sure I make it a big score," Labuschagne said (as per the aforementioned source).

The batter put up scores of 3 and 5 in his last appearance at The Gabba against the West Indies in early 2024. However, he boasts an imperious record at the venue, with two hundreds and two fifties in 10 innings at an average of 62.13.