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Marnus Labuschagne has installed nets in his backyard so that his fence is not damaged, he has put the dog thrower to work and has recorded tennis balls to keep his hand in isolation, but the forced downtime of the past few months has It also gave him an opportunity to reflect on his rise to become one of Australia’s top players.
That evolution was marked last week when he was awarded his first Cricket Australia contract and will be at the high end of the spectrum after his prolific test performances against England, Pakistan and New Zealand, followed by a promising move to the one-day side .
This time last year Labuschagne stayed out of the test team that was called up for the final test against India and then played two games against Sri Lanka, the first of which was a half-century maiden in Gabba. However, he was not in XI at the start of the Ashes series in August, but when Steven Smith suffered a concussion, his career changed. In his next 15 innings, he racked up 1,249 runs.
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“That is probably one of the most important parts of this period, just to sit back and think about everything that happened,” said Labuschagne. “It has been a really special year for me, there is no doubt about that, the way things have unfolded has been incredible. We have tried to assimilate everything, be happy and proud of it, then see how I can improve, looking different parts of your game on and off the field where you can work during this period to continually improve.
“For me, it’s just about making sure I’m prepared and understanding what the game requires and then making decisions about it. And then if that means I have careers, that’s great. And if that means I miss it, so for me it’s just about going back to the board and understanding my game and making sure I keep learning from that. “
It is unclear when Labuschagne will be able to take his guard in the middle, although there are indications that the Australian season could have some element of normality, albeit without crowds, but he knows that after the level of success he has enjoyed he has become one. of the wickets most persecuted by the opposition.
“Once you’ve played that opening season, in any format, whether it’s grade cricket or shield cricket or trial cricket, people start to get to know you and know how you play. So they come back more researched and obviously understand your I play much better. For me, it’s about understanding what they are going to do and I also understand where my weaknesses and my strengths are, and then keep improving … Obviously trying to level up. “
After her introduction to Australia’s ODI side earlier this year, where she scored a hundred singles against South Africa and averaged over 50, Labuschagne is targeting the power coup in the deaths as an area for development.
“There’s always a lot to improve on. In one-day cricket, one area I definitely want to keep improving on is probably in the later stages of innings, the limit options in the back-end of a day-long game.” . That is the beauty of the game. You are never satisfied with where you are. Obviously you are happy with where you are, but you want to be better. You want to continue driving yourself to get the best of yourself. “
At the moment, the T20 are a distant third in Labuschagne’s career with just ten games for the Brisbane Heat. When the contracts were named, national coach Trevor Hohns said they were not looking to put too much pressure on him in the format and Labuschagne knows that given the international calendar, his opportunities may remain limited, but he is eager to earn a living.
“In no way do I want to limit myself to those two formats, I definitely have the ambition to play T20 cricket for Australia,” he said. “My opportunities have been minimal and with the schedule, there don’t seem to be many other opportunities, but for me, it’s about scoring races in a day and testing cricket and if I have opportunities in the future then I’m sure to take them.”
