Steve Smith and Marnus Labuschagne were left fuming following their controversial dismissals in their respective Sheffield Shield matches.
Smith was not happy after being given out caught behind in the second innings of New South Wales’ four-wicket loss to Victoria, while Labuschagne lost his cool after he was also caught at the wicket in Queensland’s three-wicket win over Tasmania.
Gerard Whateley didn’t like what he saw from the star Australian batsmen.
“The open dissent of Australia’s two best batsmen back at Shield level as Steve Smith chronologically happened first and then Marnus Labuschagne," Whateley told SEN’s Whateley.
"Neither liked the decisions they were given – neither made any efforts to disguise it.
“It was one of the triggers identified prior to South Africa in the deterioration in Australian cricket.
“I wonder if it passes unremarked or whether it actually draws the reaction and the consequence that it should.
“The vision of both of them is actually unbecoming.”
Beau Webster gets the huge breakthrough of Marnus Labuschagne!
— cricket.com.au (@cricketcomau) February 20, 2021
Watch live #SheffieldShield: https://t.co/ob76tzHG5H pic.twitter.com/ayGJeXvgAK
Newscorp cricket writer Robert Craddock says Smith and Labuschagne’s reactions “didn’t look great” with the latter a potential Australian Test captain down the track.
“As we continue this debate as to who Australia’s next cricket captain would be, that certainly doesn’t advance you in the cause,” Craddock said.
“What we know with Steve Smith post-Sandpapergate is that any sign of poor behaviour just gets jumped on and magnified fourfold because of his history.
“You would never want to stop animation to the nth degree, but it didn’t look great.
“I saw the vision of both of those - and they were probably not out - but it doesn’t matter, you do get stinkers.
“There were some people, myself included, who think that down the track Labuschagne will have the portfolio to be a Test captain.
“Stuff like that … you have to improve.”