Marnus Labuschagne World’s Number One Batsman in Test Cricket: Until recently, in Test cricket, there was only talk of talent and performance of Virat Kohli, Steve Smith, Kane Williamson and Joe Root, but now another batsman has come forward to compete with these legends. This batsman is none other than Australia’s 27-year-old young player Marnus Labuschagne. Labuschagne has risen from 110th place to number one in the rankings of Test batsmen on the basis of his impressive performance in the last one and a half years. Let’s know how was Labushen’s journey.
Who is Marnus Labuschagne?
Born on June 22, 1994 in South-Africa, Marnus Labuschagne moved to Australia with his family in 2004. Exactly 10 years after this, in 2014, he made his first-class debut for Australia. In his first-class match, Labuschagne caught everyone’s attention by playing an innings of 83 runs. However, Labuschagne came to the attention of the world when he took a brilliant catch against India in 2014 as a substitute fielder.
In 2014, the then 20-year-old Marnus Labuschagne got a chance to field as an additional fielder at the Gabba during the Border-Gavaskar series. After that it took him almost four years to make it to the Australian Test team as a batsman. Labuschagne’s debut was not as impressive as he wanted. However, after a few innings, the stylish batsman never looked back and continued to impress cricket lovers across the globe. He has also gained the trust of Cricket Australia’s think tank in a very short span of time.
Labuschagne rose to the top of the ICC Test batting rankings on Wednesday. Three years after making his debut, Labuschagne scored six centuries and 12 half-centuries in his first 20 Tests, averaging 62.14. Among batsmen who have played at least 20 Test innings, only the incomparable Sir Don Bradman averages (99.94) more than him.
Pavilion returned to zero in debut test
Labushen made his Test debut against Pakistan in Dubai in October 2018. He was dismissed in the first innings without opening the second ball, while in the second innings he returned to the pavilion for 13 runs. However, he took one wicket in each innings of Pakistan. Along with this, Babar Azam was also run out. He proved himself by scoring 25 and 43 runs in the second test.
Chance in Border-Gavaskar Series
Labuschagne was selected in the team by Australia for this series. After this, the Queenslander was given a chance in the Sydney Test after being out of the team for the first three matches of the Border-Gavaskar series. This series was lost by Australia 2-1. It was a big deal for him to come and play at number 3.
The batsman grabbed the opportunity well
Labuschagne’s first four Tests came at a time when Australia were playing without two of their best batsmen, David Warner and Steve Smith. After his return, he was dropped from the playing XI, but still remained in the Ashes team. Labuschagne returned to the team in Smith’s absence and since then he has not looked back. Playing for Australia as a substitute for Smith in Australia’s second innings of the second Ashes Test, the right-handed batsman scored 59 runs, helping Australia secure a crucial draw at Lord’s.
Dominate the bowlers of the opposing teams
During the Ashes, there were indications that Labuschagne may dominate the bowlers of the opposition team in the coming series. He scored his first Test century in the early Gabba Test of the summer, scoring 185 runs in 279 balls. He scored 162 runs at the Adelaide Oval Day-Night at an average of 347 in the two-match series against Pakistan.
He scored three centuries in three consecutive innings with 143 runs against New Zealand. He also scored his first double century in this series. In this entire season, he scored 896 runs with four centuries and three half-centuries. His average rose to 63.43 in early January 2020, up from an average of 20.25 in 2019.
resolution against india
When Labuschagne faced India in 2020/21, he was a real star of the Australian team after a surprise selection at No. Virat Kohli and Ajinkya Rahane’s team did not perform much in the opening matches of the series. He scored crucial 48 and 28 at the Adelaide Oval. But this did not help the team and the Australian team lost the match. But returning in the second half of the series, scoring 91 and 73 runs in the SCG put the team in a strong position. Unfortunately, his brilliant innings did not work for Australia as India won the series 2-1.
Excellent performance against England in the Ashes
Labuschagne has performed brilliantly against England so far and has risen to the top of the ICC Test batting rankings in the same Ashes series. The 27-year-old started the series with an innings of 74 runs at the Gabba. He then scored a century in the first innings and 51 runs in the second innings at the Adelaide Oval, which earned him the player of the match award in the second Ashes Test.
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