Marnus Labuschagne - (Source:@ScreenGrab)
Things are getting heated up between both sides as play on day 1 nears to an end. The visitors, batting first, tumbled for just 180 runs as Mitchell Starc ran riot and took a five-wicket haul. Meanwhile, the Indian side were high on emotions right from the first ball as the body language hinted at the will and intention to restrict Australia to less than 180.
The Rohit Sharma-led side got an early breakthrough in the form of Usman Khawaja. However, at the time of writing this article, Nathan McSweeney and Marnus Labuschagne stitched a 50-run stand for the 2nd wicket.
Siraj Fumes At Labuschagne As Fan Interrupts Play
The frustration crept in not just because of the stand, but also because of repeated interruptions. Firstly, the play was halted twice after a floodlight failure. Then, emotions were flared when Marnus Labuschagne stopped Siraj midway through his action as a fan went past the sightscreen running with a glass snake.
On the 5th ball of the 25th over, Siraj threw the ball in anger towards Labuschagne after he stopped him because of sight screen interruption. Watch the incident.
What Is Beer-Snake Tradition In Australia?
The fan that interrupted the play had formed a beer snake, which is quite common in Australia. Notably, it is a tradition in which fans stack empty beer plastic cups to form long beer snakes. The longest one reported till date is around 176 metre long.
It is not the first time that a beer snake has interrupted play on a crickter ground as a similar incident occurred in 2006 between Pakistan and England, where the play was halted for a long time. Other wise, the fans usually form it in the stands, but it does not halt the match.