Marnus Labuschagne turns 29: A look at career, accomplishments of Australia's batting mainstay
Jun 22, 2023
New Delhi [India], June 22 : Australia's batting mainstay in the middle order, Marnus Labuschagne, turned 29 on Thursday.
Having made a name for himself in domestic cricket as a batter who had the ability to score big runs and deliver blows to the opposition with the ball, Labuschagne made his international debut in 2018 against Pakistan, falling for a duck.
After two Tests against the Asian side in 2018, in which he scored 81 runs across four innings, with a best of 43, he did not feature in red-ball cricket till the 2019 Ashes series in England.
In the second Test of the 2019 series at Lord's, after Steve Smith was felled by a nasty bouncer from Jofra Archer, Labuschagne arrived as a concussion substitute. He was greeted by an Archer bouncer as well. But the batter got back on his feet and scored a valiant 59 off 100 balls, with eight fours.
In the next four years, Labuschagne established himself as one of Australia's batting mainstays, second in pecking order next after Smith. In 39 Tests, he scored 3,474 runs at an average of 55.14. The Queenslander has 10 centuries and 15 fifties against his name, with his best score being 215.
The proof of Labuschagne's consistency lies in the fact that no one has scored more Test runs than him since his debut in the longer format. His second and distant rival is Smith, who has scored 2,770 runs in 34 matches at an average of 55.40, with eight centuries and 13 fifties. Travis Head comes next, scoring 2,608 runs in 38 matches at an average of 46.57, with six centuries and 14 fifties.
The right-hander ended his first full year in international cricket as the highest run-scorer in Tests. In 11 Tests, he scored 1,104 runs at an average of 64.94, with 3 centuries and 7 fifties in 17 innings, with a best score of 185. He outscored Smith (965 runs in eight Tests) and Joe Root of England (851 runs in 12 innings).
Labuschagne, just like many batters, thrives at home. In 22 Tests that he has played in Australia, he has scored 2,397 runs at an average of 70.50, with nine centuries and nine fifties, with the best score of 215.
However, his performances away from home haven't been much to write home about. In 17 Tests and 31 innings, he has scored 1,067 runs at an average of 36.79 across 31 innings, with one century and six fifties.
His on-field partnerships with Smith have been a key driving force in his rise as an international cricketer, with many fans looking up to him as the latter's heir apparent due to his consistency in Tests and ability to score big runs.
The way he mimics Smith's mannerisms on the field has not only produced funny interludes in the middle of fierce cricketing rivalries but has also added to his comparisons with Smith.
Labuschagne won the 2021-23 ICC World Test Championship with Australia, emerging as Australia's second-highest run-scorer and overall third, with 1,576 runs at an average of 52.53 with five centuries and five fifties in 20 Tests and 35 innings. His heroics earned him a place at the top of the ICC Test Players Rankings as well, among batters.
Labuschagne has also featured in 30 ODIs for his country, scoring 847 runs at an average of 31.37, with one century and six fifties. He has also represented Australia in a lone T20I, scoring 2 runs.
Having made a strong impact in Test cricket, Labuschagne is already another Aussie great in the making. More strong performances in white-ball cricket will help him further entrench his position among the top batters in the world.
