The scenes of heckling by the English crowd and the confrontations between Australian players and spectators have marred the atmosphere of the fifth Ashes 2023 Test at the Oval. Marnus Labuschagne and Usman Khawaja were seen engaged in a heated exchange with a fan while returning to the dressing room after a frustrating day of cricket for Australia as they allowed England to build their lead to 377 at the end of Day 3. The tension between the teams and the crowd has escalated throughout the series, with Australian players being the targets of hostility from English spectators.
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Labuschagne and Khawaja urged the fan to calm down
After the end of Day 3 play of the final Ashes game, as the Australian cricketers were marching down towards the dressing room, an England fan started shouting “boring” at every player. Labuschagne and Khawaja received a similar treatment, but while others ignored it, they were left fuming at a fan and charged at him. The Australia opener urged the man to “calm down”, while Labuschagne asked him, “What did you say? What did you say, mate? You’re just about to go at everyone else.” Upon being confronted, the spectator was quick to respond with an apology.
Here’s the video:
Not quite the MCC Long Room at Lords. But @marnus3cricket and @Uz_Khawaja clearly not happy with this Englishman at the end of a frustrating day 3 for the Aussies! #boring #Ashes #ENGvsAUS pic.twitter.com/i0m5wM8bUY
— Pat McCormick (@pat_mccormickk) July 30, 2023
This was not the first time when Australian cricketers had a confrontation with the home crowd in the ongoing Ashes series. The Australians have been villainous for the English crowd ever since the contentious stumping affected by Alex Carey to dismiss Jonny Bairstow at Lord’s in the fourth innings and went on to win the encounter by 43 runs, overshadowing Ben Stokes’ 155. England captain later stated that he won’t employ such a tactic to win, while his counterpart Pat Cummins maintained that it was a fair chance.
Meanwhile, the Oval Test is now on a knife’s edge after David Warner and Khawaja displayed a strong opening partnership, reaching 135-0 at stumps on Day 4, with a target of 384 runs for victory. For England to make a comeback, they will need to take wickets on the final day, and Stuart Broad‘s performance will be crucial in this regard.
The outcome of the Test will determine the winner of the five-match Ashes series, with Australia currently leading 2-1 after victories at Edgbaston and Lord’s, while England bounced back with a thrilling 2-wicket win at Headingley. The fourth Test at Old Trafford was dominated by England, but rain robbed them of a likely victory.