Australian Test batter Marnus Labuschagne has emerged from his longest break in cricket in seven years super confident that he has regained the formula to scoring Test centuries again. Instead of going greedy for runs, Marnus Labuschagne will trust the process that has worked so well for him in the past.
Marnus Labuschagne last played for Australia on June 14th in the ODI series in Bangladesh, the same nation he will play two Tests against this month in Darwin (*1st Test on 13th August) and Mackay (2nd Test on 22nd August). For the record, Australia’s Number 3 has not scored a century in the past 21 Tests. Marnus Labuschagne’s last hundred was back in July 2023 when he made 111 at Old Trafford during Ashes 2023.
Marnus Labuschagne on feeling energised and confident of doing well after a break
Speaking to reporters in Brisbane, during a match simulation with the Australian team, Marnus Labuschagne said, “It’s certainly very important to start these two Tests well.”
He said, “Working on my game and spending hours and hours on the simple things like my shots, working on my shapes and my technique as a whole is something I definitely needed.”Â
He added, “When you’re on the road playing for probably the last seven or eight years straight, this is the longest break I’ve had. There have been times where I’ve tried to get things in order, but I just run out of time to fully commit to those small changes.”Â
He further elaborated, “It’s been really nice to go back and find my best form and what it looks like for me to play at my best. The preparation over the last few weeks here with Australia has been great for that. Hopefully we can see the results off the back of all my hard work,”
Marnus Labuschagne aims to trust the process to get back amongst the runs.Â
Instead of being invested in big scores, Marnus Labuschagne is determined to trust the process that has worked for him in the past. He said, “When you’ve missed out a few times, you get a little greedy and start searching for runs and you are not letting the game come to you. It’s really important for me to not get too invested in the runs. We want the runs, but we want the process and that is what I am looking for.”Â
He added, “The runs will come as the journey goes on if I keep trusting my game. I think that’s what I did really well through that period that I went really well. I trusted my game, trusted how I went about batting, reading the game and understanding what the team needed from me in that moment. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”Â
Labuschagne looked good in the Ashes series last summer on several occasions only to be dismissed just when he appeared set to kick on and make a big total. He said a little bit of a lack of confidence played a part.
He said, “There were a few dismissals last summer… where you’re going well and you just rush the process. You want to get to that three-figure score rather than staying in the moment.”
He concluded, “I’ve reflected a lot over these last two months about when I played my best cricket. It was just letting the game come to me.”Â
We will wait and find out how Marnus Labuschagne goes in this two-Test series against Bangladesh as he aims to roar back into form and score tons. The first Test is in Darwin on August 13th, while the second Test will be at Mackay from August 22nd onwards.
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