Adam Gilchrist calls out 'illegal' Aussie move that sums up embarrassing scenes in first Test

Adam Gilchrist has teed off on Australia, and in particular Marnus Labuschagne, for a truly woeful and bizarre performance in the field on day three of the first Test against India. The visitors sapped the Aussie team's spirit on their way to 6-487 on Sunday before declaring and all but sealing Australia's fate with three quick wickets in the final overs of the day.

And following the collapse that saw Australia lose 3-12 in pursuit of an unachievable 534 at Perth Stadium, day three was described by many as one of the darkest days of Australian cricket in recent memory. And the shambles of the Australian performance was best showcased by the moment Labuschagne was handed the ball. Coming into the first Test, the part-time bowler had talked up his desire to target Virat Kohli and voiced his plan to pick up some extra bowling workload in the absence of Cameron Green.

But when Pat Cummins brought the part-timer onto bowl, Labuschagne's right-arm leg spin around the wicket caused the Indian cricket great next to no problems. If his bowling didn't raise enough eyebrows, his tactics certainly did. Labuschagne appeared to deliberately bowl down leg-side to Kohli in an attempt to stop him from reaching 100 before the end of day three. This was to ideally delay the Indian team's declaration and sending the Aussies into bat, which they managed to do anyway after Kohli brought up his century.

And Labuschagne's tactics went down like a lead balloon, with Aussie Test legend Gilchrist labelling it "illegal" in Fox Cricket commentary. “Have you ever seen such a despondent team of Australian cricketers, resorting to those tactics?" He said on Fox Sports. "What are deemed negative, illegal tactics really by the rulebook?"

England great Michael Vaughan added: “I’ve not seen that. I’m looking at this Australian side, they’re a terrific side, and for whatever reason they bowl out India for 150, then only bat well enough to only get 104, and then with the ball in hand they had periods where they bowled nicely but that last half an hour is something I’ve not seen in Australia. Every boundary rider was on the fence, Labuschagne’s bowling around the wicket, he’s bowling negatively.”

The 30-year-old was also warned by umpire Chris Gaffaney for “negative tactics”. The ICC Men’s Test Match Playing Conditions state under law 22.1.4: “For bowlers who umpires consider to be bowling down the leg side as a negative tactic, the strict limited over wide interpretation shall be applied. It is for the umpires to determine what counts as a ‘negative tactic’."

While SEN radio host Gerard Whateley said the way Labuschagne bowled to Kohli was disgraceful. "It's the worst tactic I've ever seen by an Australian team," he said on Monday. "I was appalled by it. It was undignified. I was glad Kohli treated it with disdain." And the move also didn't go down well with the cricket world either, with many calling the display a "disgrace" and "embarrassing".

Calls mount for Marnus Labuschagne to be dropped

Labuschagne is facing mounting calls to be dropped from Australia's Test side after a humiliating third day in Perth. The worst sight was when Labuschagne was handed the ball but not far off it was his inexplicable decision to leave an inswinging delivery from Jasprit Bumrah.

Not only was he struck on the pads and given out lbw, Labuschagne had the audacity to review it. “Inexplicable cricket from Marnus Labuschagne in that situation,” veteran cricket journalist Peter Lalor said on SEN radio. “How do you not use your bat when you’ve seen that this ball is skidding through?” SEN host Whateley said Labuschagne was batting like a man whose confidence was shot and that a stint back in Sheffield Shield might do him good.

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“It’s a scrambled mind, it’s a lost technique," Whateley said. “You cannot go out there without the intention to use your bat. It’s so symbolic of where he finds himself in his game. He’s going to have to be relieved of his place in the team.” Lalor added: “Without a doubt, I don’t know how you can pick him for the next Test.”

Sport journalist Tom Morris called it Australia’s "worst day" since the Bellerive disaster that resulted in six changes made to the 12-man squad and said Labuschagne simply had to be dropped. “His position in the team is now untenable,” Morris said of Labuschagne on SEN.

“Australia cannot carry him any longer. This is stating the obvious. He averages 30 across his last 40 Test innings. It’s a remarkable fall from grace for a player widely viewed as a long-term first drop... When this Test ends, Australian cricket is going to be in crisis." Labuschagne is now averaging 30.28 in Test cricket since February last year and just 13.66 in five Tests since the start of the series against the West Indies in mid-January.