Former Australia players Shane Warne and Andrew Symonds are facing backlash for their insulting comments and making fun of Marnus Labuschagne's unorthodox batting approach. Warner and Symonds were mic'd up ahead of a Big Bash League (BBL) game between Adelaide Strikers and Melbourne Renegades on Friday. Before the game, the conversation between the two former players was aired on the streaming platform Kayo Sports, which later issued an apology for the language used by the two commentators.
In the viral video, both Warne and Symonds can be heard criticising Labuschagne and his eccentric mannerisms. Symonds even said that Labuschagne has ADD (Attention Deficit Disorder), while Warne called him "annoying".
Their comments received widespread backlash on the social media, with people slamming the two former players for their crude comments about such a promising batsman.
Here are some of the reactions:
Labuschagne has been a revelation for Australia in the last one-and-a-half years, since he walked out to bat as a concussion substitute replacing Steve Smith during the 2019 Ashes series in England.
Having scored 1,588 runs in 27 innings, 16 Tests at an impressive average of 58.81, he has emerged as one of the pillars of Australia's batting, at least in the longest format. Apart from his batting, Labuschagne's mannerisms, which is in a way is inspired by Steve Smith, also gains a lot of attention.