Aussie cricket star punished for ‘cheeky’ act

The Tigers were 3/280 late on day one when Labuschagne struck Tasmanian batter Lawrence Neil-Smith on the front pad and immediately sprinted towards the slip cordon with both arms raised.

It was not until he was near the striker’s end that Labuschagne spun around to appeal, but the umpire remained unmoved.

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Replays suggested the ball had pitched outside the line of leg stump.

As reported by The Australian, Labuschagne has since been found guilty of excessive appealing, but avoided a dissent charge.

In the Laws of Cricket, “appealing excessively” is considered a “Level 1” offence.

Labuschagne is known for his giddy enthusiasm on the cricket field – which Australian legend Shane Warne infamously called “annoying” earlier this year – but several cricket pundits took issue with his behaviour, arguing it was disrespectful towards the umpire.

The Australian No. 3 batter has already developed a reputation for attempting the “celebrappeal”, with an almost identical incident taking place 12 months ago.

Labuschagne received similar criticism back in March when he showed dissent to an umpire’s decision in a Sheffield Shield match, also against Tasmania.

The Queenslander threw his head back in disbelief after the umpire raised his finger, shaking his head all the way to the sheds.

At the time, News Corp cricket writer Robert Craddock believed Labuschagne’s actions could damage his chances of replacing Tim Paine as Australian Test captain, and this latest misdemeanour certainly won’t help.

Former Australian captain Ian Chappell agreed: “A lot of players from around the world are taking an inordinate time to leave the crease when they get out.

“Marnus is a bad example – he takes forever to get off the field, but he’s not the only one, and there are plenty of others and from other countries.”