"He needs his ears tested" - Michael Vaughan's scathing take on Australian player's incessant appeals on Day 5 of BGT 2024-25 4th Test

Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticized Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne's constant appeal during Day 5 of the Boxing Day Test in the Border-Gavaskar series. The batter was relentlessly chirping away in the slip cordon, and urging his teammates for a review across every close call over the course of the innings.

In one instance, even Labuschagne's teammate, Mitchell Starc, was left frustrated by the antics. After the fielder appealed his heart out for a caught behind dismissal, the pacer let him know that the ball was a fair distance away from the bat, and did not entertain a discussion for the review.

Labuschagne is one of the most vocal members of the Australian side, and after supporting the bowlers from the field, he himself got an over to bowl to close out the second session.

“He needs his ears tested. He’s missed it by half a yard. If Marnus was the captain, Australia would have lost both reviews in six overs," Michael Vaughan said on Fox Sports

Labuschagne played a pivotal role in the Boxing Day Test proceedings. He recorded twin fifties, with his second innings heroics helping Australia navigate through a testing period.

"Don’t speak. Don’t appeal" - Former Australian player Darren Lehmann's advice for Labuschagne

Former Australia batter Darren Lehmann was also critical of Labuschagne's antics, advising him to stay silent and let his teammates take care of the appealing and decision-making.

“Marnus, stay at third slip. Don’t speak. Don’t appeal. That is the worst appeal in the history of the sport," Lehmann said on ABC Sport (via Fox Sports)

The Boxing Day Test is on a knife's edge at the moment. In pursuit of the 340-run target, India have slumped to 130-5 after 63 overs. With a win for the visitors out of the equation for now, they have to survive close to 30 overs to get to Stumps on the final day.