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‘There’s No Break’ - Marnus Labuschagne Declares Himself Fit For The Boxing Day Test

image-lqaki46hAustralia's medical team assessing Marnus' finger. (X.com) 

Star Australian batter Marnus Labuschagne has confirmed his fitness for the upcoming second Test at the Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) in Melbourne, commencing on December 26.

Labuschagne endured a painful moment when a delivery from Khurram Shahzad sharply rose and hit his little finger during the first Test against Pakistan at the Optus Stadium in Perth. Subsequently, he underwent scans on Saturday evening.

According to a statement from Cricket Australia (CA) released yesterday, an x-ray conducted the previous night did not reveal any visible fracture, and Labuschagne was able to bat without hindrance in the nets the following morning.

Downplaying the impact of the blow to his finger, Labuschagne, who has been a consistent presence with 39 consecutive Test appearances since the 2019 Ashes, said he’s fine and is determined to not miss any matches.

“That’s happened so many times when I’ve been on the bench, so it’s going to have to take something pretty serious I reckon to have me miss. The finger’s fine, there’s no break. It hit me more on the knuckle side and jammed up my hand, so I was a bit nervous out there. I’ve had a lot of finger blows, but this felt a bit different. Overnight it was a little bit sore but Sunday morning was fine. I had a hit and it was all right. It just got me in a bit of an awkward spot. There was no padding on that side of the glove, and it got me sort of underneath and jammed it, so it didn’t feel that good. But I’ve actually got some really good range in it,"  Marnus Labuschagne told reporters.

On Monday, Cricket Australia announced the squad for the second Test against Pakistan, scheduled for December 26 in Melbourne. The squad has been reduced from 14 to 13 players as the rookie fast bowler Lance Morris has been released to take part in the Big Bash League (BBL) ahead of the second Test match.

Star opener David Warner, following his match-winning knock hundred in the first innings of the first Test in Perth, has been included in the squad. Australia convincingly defeated Pakistan by 360 runs in the series opener.

With an eight-day break between the first and second Test matches, the Pakistan team will also play a warm-up match before heading to Melbourne, aiming to level the series.