Ben Stokes and Marnus Labuschagne exchanged words towards the end of Day 2 of the fifth Ashes Test
The umpired had to intervene before Stokes dismissed the Australian for 48
Former players including Brett Lee and Adam Gilchrist defended the confrontation
Tempers boiled over late on Day 2 of the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on Monday, with Ben Stokes and Marnus Labuschagne at the centre of a fiery on-field confrontation during a tense spell late in the day.
The incident happened at the end of a Ben Stokes over, moments after Travis Head had struck consecutive boundaries. Labuschagne appeared to direct a remark towards Stokes, triggering an immediate response from the England captain.
Stokes turned back, exchanged words, and then walked towards Labuschagne, placing his arm around the Australian batter’s shoulder, forcing the umpires to intervene.
According to news.com.au, Stokes appeared to tell the Australian batter to “shut the **** up” during the exchange. After a brief but intense discussion, Stokes patted Labuschagne on the shoulder and walked away, without the situation escalating further.
Moments later, Stokes had the final word on the field, dismissing Labuschagne for 48, inducing an edge to gully from a wide delivery. The England skipper then gave a glaring look towards Labuschagne before celebrating with his teammates.
Lee, Gilchrist Support Ashes Confrontation
The altercation found some support from former players on commentary duty. One of those was former Australian pacer and the latest Hall of Fame inductee, Brett Lee. “Should you touch another player? The answer is no,” he said.
“But is there anything wrong with that? I’d say no. Was it a squeeze? Was he trying to diffuse the situation?” Lee added, before lamenting the timing of the incident. “I want to see this in the first Test. This is what the Ashes are about. You’re playing for your country, so get out there and have a crack.”
Australia women’s team captain Alyssa Healy agreed with the sentiment, saying, “It’s the fifth Test match, it’s a little bit late for that now. He might have a trip to the match referee after that moment.”
“It just got a bit heated, maybe (because) it’s the fIfth Test and maybe everyone is getting a bit tired,” Adam Gilchrist, speaking on Kayo Sports, said. “This confrontation between Ben Stokes and Marnus Labuschagne, the verbal started and where has it been (before this Test)?”
“It looked like it was done and dusted after a bit of backchat, but something caught Stokes’ attention, and he goes back to Marnus and actually puts his arm around him. I don’t know whether that was trying to defuse the situation, but it still looked like it was pretty heated,” the former captain continued.
“Should you be touching an opposition player in any fashion? But this is what we expect in an Ashes series.”
Root’s Masterclass For England
Earlier in the day, England were bowled out for 384, with Joe Root anchoring the innings through a brilliant 160 off 242 balls. Resuming from an overnight 211, Root remained the backbone of England’s resistance, even as Australia struck at regular intervals at the other end.
Although batting conditions at the SCG appeared to ease as the day progressed, Australia ensured England never fully seized control. Root’s ton and Harry Brook’s earlier half-century were neutralised by disciplined bowling that prevented the visitors from capitalising fully.
Australia’s first innings was powered by Travis Head. The left-hander went on the offensive against both pace and spin, finishing the day unbeaten on 91 from just 87 balls. Head’s power-hitting allowed Australia to claw back momentum rapidly, ensuring they ended Day 2 at 166/2 after 35 overs.
