AUS vs ENG 5th Test: A fiery confrontation erupted between Ben Stokes and Marnus Labuschagne during the third session on Day 2 of the fifth Ashes Test with England captain unleashing a verbal onslaught at the Australian batter.

Tensions steamed over as Australia's hard-hitting batter Travis Head struck successive boundaries off England's captain to close out the 29th over, forming the stage for a heated altercation. It seemed England skipper's ire ignited when Labuschagne appeared to retreat from his crease during Stokes' run-up.

As Stokes strode past the Australian players, he engaged in a heated verbal interaction with Labuschagne, his gestures conveying his displeasure. The tension peaked when Stokes turned around and placed his arm around Labuschagne's shoulders in a firm grip.

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Both players exchanged words before the umpire moderated, after which they parted ways.

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The exact conversation isn't clear, but former Aussie captain Ricky Ponting, speaking on Channel 7, thinks Stokes told Labuschagne, 'Three times, three times you've done it to me.' Stokes also appeared to tell Labuschagne to 'shut the f*** up' when the Aussie batter began to talk back. 

Meanwhile, Mark Waugh in commentary for Fox Cricket said, "Marnus Labuschagne is hanging around like, 'I shouldn't be out here', but you can't play the game that way. You're out there. You're playing. You've got to get on with it."

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"On the first ball after the confrontation between the two, a careless shot from Labuschagne, who had been so smart up to that point with his decision-making, but he sends that one right to Jacob Bethell at gully for a simple catch."Has Stokes got inside his mind? Did the mind games Labuschagne try to play with Stokes backfire? It's happened before. We've seen it before. When he's out of his bubble, funny things can happen," Ponting said.

Reacting to the case, former England pacer Stuart Broad said on 7 Cricket, "This is all going at Marnus Labuschagne. Something Marnus is doing is annoying Ben Stokes, whether it's keeping him waiting at the top of his mark, just reminding him to speed up at times at non-striker's end."