Marnus Labuschagne is now properly referred to as some of the vibrant characters in Australian cricket, however new revelations within the new season of Amazon documentary sequence The Test have added one other chapter in his storied love affair with the common-or-garden toasted sandwich.
Labuschagne’s relationship with the toastie dates again to his early days at grade membership Redlands, saying in a 2020 interview with then-Australian-captain Tim Paine that the membership have been “renowned for their toastie”.
“You go to Adelaide Oval, you think plum chicken, you come to Redlands, you think toastie.”
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But it’s in the course of the first episode of season two of The Test when Labuschagne’s toastie ritual leaves followers up in arms.
Labuschagne walks by means of his pre-net routine of placing collectively his ham-and-cheese toastie, making it piping sizzling and placing it on a plate.
But it’s his subsequent step that defies perception. The star batsmen walks over to the fridge and places the toastie in for later consumption..
“Not many people do this, but I like a toastie that’s actually cold,” he says.
“Get that cheese to harden up, go for a hit (in the nets), come back, boom, toastie is ready to go.”
The incident disturbed many viewers world wide, with some taking to social media to share their issues.
Sports editor Russell Bennett wrote: “Sure, there’s drama aplenty with JL (Langer) and Tim Paine, but without a shadow of a doubt the most extraordinary scene of the entire second season of #TheTest is Marnus putting a piping hot ham toastie in the fridge in episode one.
“The bloke is not of this planet.”
Music author Bernard Zuel was additionally struggling to understand the act, writing: “Marnus Labuschagne has some quirks, more than many players probably, but each to their own etc. “However, cooking a cheese toastie and then putting it in the fridge before eating it is … weird.”
Meanwhile, in style cricket Twitter account TheCricketMales was in full uproar with a scathing tackle the chilled toastie.
“I love Marnus Labuschagne but the fact he butchers a toastie so badly is a travesty and a crime against humanity,” the account wrote.
It’s not the primary time Labuschagne’s culinary habits have come to gentle as a member of the Australian setup, with the Queenslander the prime suspect when coach Justin Langer informed The Sydney Morning Herald he needed to ban a participant from snacking on a toastie within the now notorious Gabba loss to India.
“You’re walking on against India, we’re trying to win a Test match and one of our players walks on with a toasted sandwich in his hand,” Langer stated.
“How do you reckon it looks, mate?”
Langer later revealed on the Cricket Et Cetera podcast Labuschagne was in truth the offending participant.
“Now I’m the grumpiest prick in the world because I told Marnus not to take a toasted ham and cheese sandwich after his 40-minute lunch break,” Langer stated.
The Gabba incident didn’t do a lot to fight the concept that cricket is a leisurely pastime reasonably than an intense sport of reactions and athleticism, taking minds again to a viral 2013 second when Nic Maddinson introduced out a toastie between balls throughout a Ryobi Cup recreation towards South Australia.
“That’s why cricket is the best ever – can’t do that at a ball-up”, posted then-South Australian cricketer Theo Doropoulos on Twitter.
