Australian batting talisman Marnus Labuschagne intends to unleash a bouncer assault on Team India’s hitters. The cricketer, who was born in South Africa, has been practicing medium-pace bowling lately. Labuschagne stated that he hopes to develop into a player who can bowl both spin and pace.
Pat Cummins may be relieved that the Border-Gavaskar series is finally here and that the wait is over. Back in August, Australia’s skipper was answering questions about a Test series that was three months away while standing on the shores of Sydney Harbour on a windy, late-winter day.
In Shield cricket, the 30-year-old, who frequently bowled leg-spin in international matches, made some medium-paced deliveries. The right-handed batter also hit Pat Cummins with a short-pitched fastball during a recent workout at Perth’s Optus Stadium.
Marnus Labuschagne Looking To Bowl Aggressively
The prolific Test batter told the media on Tuesday, November 19, that he wants to return the favour to the tourists as well because he anticipates receiving a lot of bouncers when he bats. As cited by Perth Now, he stated
“Look, you’ve got to go at the top, don’t you? I bowled one bouncer, and I think Mitchell Starc said, ‘You’ve got short memories’. And I said, ‘Well, I’m going to get them (bouncers directed at me) anyway, so I might as well dish them out’. But yeah, like I said, practice like you play. I would love nothing more than to be that guy who can bowl both medium pacers and spin.”
Nevertheless, it is the Marnus Labuschagne’s returns with the bat that will be crucial for Australia if they are to regain the Border-Gavaskar Trophy. The Queensland batter was the highest run-getter (426) during the 2020-21 leg, but Australia lost the series.
Marnus Labuschagne further stated that he has always bowled more pace over spin, trusting the durability of his body. On this, he added:
“There was a bit of worry (from CA staff) when I bowled 28 overs of pace in a Shield game and my workloads were zero before then. Some would say that’s a big spike. But my body’s pretty durable, touch wood. And it’s something that I’ve done from a young age – I’ve always bowled pace,”