The number three Test batter for Australia, Marnus Labuschagne, came into the second game of the Border Gavaskar Trophy (BGT) 2024-25 with so much pressure on the back of his poor scores during the opening game at the Optus Stadium in Perth, which the home side went on to lose by a 295-run margin.
Apart from his 90-run knock during the second Test in New Zealand at the start of the year, Marnus Labuschagne hadn’t done anything attractive to seal his place in the side. When he walked out into the middle of the pink-ball Test under full effects of the floodlight against the attacking Jasprit Bumrah, his heartbeat was pumping.
The veteran had the onus to see off the toughest period under the lights to ensure that neither Travis Head nor Steve Smith would be facing the fresh Indian bowlers at that position.
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Even at the start of the second day’s play, when Bumrah removed the overnight batter Nathan McSweeney and found the wicket of Smith, who edged the leg-sided delivery into the hands of the wicket-keeper, Marnus Labuschagne stayed them and soaked the pressure early on before a few early boundaries from Head helped him in getting back the rhythm.
David Warner is yet to be convinced by the performance of Marnus Labuschagne
Runs suddenly started to come easily off his blade. The right-handed batter smashed 64 runs in 126 balls at a strike rate of 50 with the help of nine boundaries. In the ongoing year, he has now notched up 309 Test runs in 13 innings at an average of 28.09 and a strike rate of around 48.28 with the help of four half-centuries. That’s his lowest average since his debut year in 2018 when he managed 81 runs in four innings.
When facing India, the Queensland batter has grabbed 844 runs in 22 innings at an average of 42.20 and a strike rate of 43.87 with the help of four half-centuries and one century at the best score of 108. However, the former opening batter of Australia, David Warner, has not been convinced by the performance of the South Africa-born.
“I’m still not convinced about Marnus Labuschagne. I don’t think that was anywhere near what we know he’s capable of. He might have got a couple out of the middle, got a couple of freebies, and batted well that night to get through, but they bowled poorly. So from that perspective, he had the best conditions to come out and bat in.” The former opening batter for Australia expressed during his recent conversation on Sydney Herald.
“But he got out the same way he always does get out when he gets over 50, hits it straight to gully. Steve, of late, I think a lot of teams have been bowling at his pads and down the leg side. So I think, from that perspective, they’re trying to shut his scoring down quite a bit.” The former New South Wales batter addressed.
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Marnus Labuschagne is moving to his home ground now, where he has thumped 497 Test runs in ten innings at an average of 62.13 with two centuries and as many half-centuries. Warner mentioned that the 30-year-old hasn’t found his feet moving against Bumrah.
“You see he’s trying to tinker with fixing certain things with Bumrah. His feet weren’t moving across this time. We know what Steve’s like, one knock, and then he’s there. But as we know, the best form of currency is runs so, you’ve just got to try your best to churn them out. Uz, the same.” The new commentator for Fox Cricket concluded.
Marnus Labuschagne has slowly started to get his rhythm back, and he will try to get back his sharpness at the Gabba.