London, June 25: Marnus Labuschagne caused concern within the Australian camp ahead of the second Ashes 2023 Test when he suffered a painful blow to his hand during a net session at Lord's, leaving him in considerable discomfort. Labuschagne copped a blow to his finger when both he and Steve Smith took part in a net session on Saturday. In addition to Labuschagne and Smith, reserve players of the squad were present and received throwdowns from the coaching staff. One of those throwdowns left Labuschagne in serious pain and kneeling on the ground before receiving treatment from the team doctor, according to Fox Cricket. James Anderson, Nathan Lyon Try Their Hands at Baseball! Watch Ashes Rivals Throw Ceremonial First Pitch at MLB London Series.

However, the 29-year-old was able to resume batting in the nets and completed the session with Australian assistant coach Michael Di Venuto not overly concerned in the aftermath. "He kept on batting so he must've been OK. Otherwise, he would have walked out. He's got a finger that has copped a couple of knocks. I think he just got another one. He said it felt better because the blood started to flow through or something. So it makes sense. So, that’s what you want," Di Venuto said.

"They (Labuschagne and Smith) got wind of a net session that we had organised for the guys that hadn't been playing. They have had a few days off shadow-batting in their rooms. They got itchy feet. So, we welcomed them down here to hit cricket balls as they both love doing," he added.

Labuschagne will make a return to Lord's, which holds significance as it was the venue where his career gained momentum in 2019 when he replaced Smith as a concussion substitute. Since then, he has showcased remarkable consistency, accumulating 10 Test centuries and occasionally maintaining an average above 60. Ashes 2023: ‘Pat Cummins Showed Antidote to Bazball Approach Is Ice in the Veins’, Says Former Head Coach Justin Langer.

However, he is currently experiencing a relatively less productive phase, having scored two half-centuries and maintaining an average of 33.14 in his previous 17 innings. Labuschagne failed to perform in the Ashes opener as the batter got out for a duck in the first innings and followed it up with a score of 13 in the second innings. The second Ashes Test will start at Lord's on Wednesday, with Australia 1-0 up in the series.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jun 25, 2023 05:19 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).