AUS vs WI | Twitter reacts to Marnus Labuschagne going 'fine I'll do it myself' as he gifts West Indies his wicket after brilliant 200
Some knocks are resplendent with such grit and control that they seem beyond the bowling unit's capabilities to bring to a close. Marnus Labuschagne suffered an unfortunate end after a soft-dismissal saw him depart for 204, fittingly seeming like the only way his wicket could have fallen on the day.
Australia showed why they are the top-ranked Test team in the world with a thorough domination of the opening phases of the first Test of the summer against the West Indies in Perth. Having chosen to bat first on a pitch that has been doing bits for the pacers, the Kangaroos have already raced to 402/3 at Lunch on day two.
Their performance was largely driven by the gritty Marnus Labuschagne who came in at 9/1 and established two mammoth partnerships with Usman Khawaja and Steve Smith, worth 142 and 251 runs respectively. The 28-year-old in the process recorded a stunning double century as well, further improving on an immaculate home record. The Caribbeans threw everything in their armour at him through his 9-hour plus stay at the crease but the batter barely flinched and was only resigned to the walk to the dugout through a folly of his own.
Facing the last over before lunch off part-timer spinner Kraigg Braithwaite, Labuschagne tried to run down the first ball of the over down third man but found a faint tickle instead. Despite the double century, the Queenslander was thoroughly distraught, aware that him gifting his wicket away was the only chance the opposition had of ending his innings.
Head in his hands and crouched on the floor, Marnus slowly began his walk back and was received with a rousing standing ovation from the Western Australia audience, highlighting the sheer brilliance of the knock. Twitterati was quick to remark at the strange manner in which the wicket fell and offer the batter both sympathy and praise for the efforts.
What an innings!
He could've scored a triple century today, but...
ā MAHARAJ JI (@MAHARAJ96620593) December 1, 2022
Glorious
Glorious! 200 of the very best from Marnus LabuschagneĀ #OhWhatAFeeling#AUSvWIĀ |Ā @Toyota_AusĀ pic.twitter.com/Q1IFKdRlzJ
ā cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau)Ā December 1, 2022
Perth love affairs continue
Second Test match double ton for Marnus Labuschagne as his Perth love affair continues.Ā #AUSvWIĀ pic.twitter.com/unLj4h7Wtj
ā Jordan McArdle (@jordan_mc12)Ā December 1, 2022
Daddy hundered!
Marnus Labuschagne's wife and his new born baby in the stadium and Marnus scored double hundred - What a moment.Ā pic.twitter.com/KwEOFVqhUc
ā CricketMAN2 (@ImTanujSingh)Ā December 1, 2022
Unstoppable force!
Double hundred by Marnus Labuschagne - his 2nd double in Tests. He's been an unstoppable force!Ā pic.twitter.com/P4s9n6RzjY
ā Mufaddal Vohra (@mufaddal_vohra)Ā December 1, 2022
Respect
Marnus Labuschagne šÆš«” thatās it.!
ā Pain-Hub (@6kaif9)Ā December 1, 2022
Double ton
Double hundred by Marnus Labuschagne - his 2nd double in Tests.Ā #AUSvWI
ā Cricislove (@Cricklove5)Ā December 1, 2022
Super drive
What a way Marnus Labushange to bring double Hundred keep goingĀ @marnus3cricketĀ break Brian Lara's record#AUSvWIĀ pic.twitter.com/Z1EcgKr1i5
ā Hammered Truthšš²š§š· (@hammered_truth7)Ā December 1, 2022
What a knock!
Double century for Marnus Labuschagne! What a knock! Take a bow!#AUSvsWIĀ pic.twitter.com/OoluXHaT1i
ā Mr.Sanga18š®š³ (@TheSangram18)Ā December 1, 2022
Delightfull!
A lavish cover drive to get to the milestone. Marnus Labuschagne with his second double ton! He is delighted with this achievement and a well-deserved 200 for the run machine.#AUSvsWIĀ #labuschagneĀ pic.twitter.com/4UqrZSnNfo
ā Manish Bishnoi (@Manishbish9i)Ā December 1, 2022
Legendary!
And not long afterwards, he is OUT! š
ā Axel Rivai (@Axel_H_Rivai)Ā December 1, 2022
But man, what a legendary first innings performance for Marnus Labuschagne.Ā @CricketAusĀ in total control over the West Indies. š
3/402 at lunch break.Ā #AUSvWI
Sensational!
Sensational double hundred from Marnus! He is unstoppableš„pic.twitter.com/aHwapH8xo3#AUSvWIĀ #AUSvsWI
ā Ashmin Aryal (@aryal_ashmin)Ā December 1, 2022