VIDEO | Animated Marnus Labuschagne orchestrates best solo appeal to leave commentators in splits

A weirdly animated expression, an ever-curious body language and a perennial smile on the face are the things that define only a part of Labuschagne. Having top-scored with a 143 for his team, the 25-year-old’s animation on the field had touched different heights on Day 2 of the ongoing Perth Test. The antics and expressions were so prominent that they were visible through his helmet when fielding at forward short leg. 

As the pink ball adds drama and a little extra sound to the game, Labuschagne refuses to back down from the competition. With New Zealand under immense pressure after having lost Williamson, the new batsman in, Nicholls, faced the wrath of Starc. He bowled a full-ish delivery to the batsman who tried drawing the bat towards the ball, but instead, it barely denied an outside edge to the keeper. 

As Paine grabbed the ball, everyone close to the stumps appealed in unison. But the intensity flickered down soon enough. But Labuschagne, oh Labuschagne, couldn’t stop appealing and screamed comically with his arms up in the air. When he finally realized that his mates had stop appealing, he tried to convince them by saying, "I 100% heard the faintest nick!" And then he turned to the bowler and asked: ”Did you hear that?”

Well, it was a good decision to not have reviewed that since the Snicko clearly showed no contact between bat and ball.