England initially struggled to take wickets on the second day of the fifth Ashes Test at The Oval. However, as Australia’s score reached 185/7 while attempting to surpass England’s first innings score of 186/7, the English team regained their momentum.
The turning point came when Usman Khawaja was dismissed in the first over after Lunch, triggering a collapse in the Australian batting lineup. But it was in the first session that the English managed to strike their first blow, as Mark Wood removed Marnus Labuschagne, breaking a crucial partnership that had lasted for 26 overs.
Though Labuschagne had been relatively cautious in his approach and had only scored 9 runs from 81 balls, he had managed to survive despite facing some intimidating deliveries from Wood. However, an interesting incident occurred in the 43rd over.
While Wood was preparing to bowl the penultimate ball of his over, Stuart Broad, the fellow pacer, went to the batter’s end and quietly swapped the bails on the stumps without any explanation. Labuschagne watched this peculiar act with curiosity, and Khawaja, at the non-striker’s end, also observed the scene with amusement.
The very next ball, Labuschagne uncharacteristically attempted to play a delivery just wide off the stumps, resulting in an edge that was caught by Joe Root at first slip. Broad appeared delighted with the outcome and, instead of immediately celebrating with Wood, he first went to Khawaja at the non-striker’s end. There, he placed a hand on Khawaja’s shoulders, seemingly commenting on the earlier incident, while patting him on the back with his other hand.
𝗡𝗮𝗺𝗲: Stuart Broad
— England Cricket (@englandcricket) July 28, 2023
𝗢𝗰𝗰𝘂𝗽𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻: Mind Games Extraordinaire
Incredible, Broady 😂👏 #EnglandCricket | #Ashes pic.twitter.com/MdeuNgrN2F
Labuschagne, on the other hand, was visibly upset and directed some words at the umpire as he left the field. Unfortunately, the exact content of his remarks remained inaudible. The unusual sequence of events quickly caught the attention of fans on social media, leading to various conspiracy theories being discussed on Twitter.