SYDNEY: Marnus Labuschagne reckons he is in his best form with the bat for six years after hitting his fifth century of the domestic season on Monday to all but ensure his place in the Australia squad for the Ashes.
The 31-year-old batsman managed only one century in 53 innings before, struggling with his technique, he was dropped from the test side during the tour of West Indies in June and July.
Two innings garnering a single each in the 50-overs series against South Africa in August were hardly an improvement, but the right-hander has since hit three centuries in one-dayers and a couple more in Sheffield Shield for Queensland.
“I feel like whenever you’re batting badly, you just need to get that rhythm and that feel,” Labuschagne told reporters after scoring 101 from 111 balls as Queensland beat New South Wales in a one-dayer in Sydney on Monday.
“And once you’ve got it, you protect it like it’s gold. You know how to manage the situation of the game, you know when to take a risk or when not to. If you score runs, it’s a habit.”
Labuschagne played his first test in 2018 and made his Ashes debut the following year as cricket’s first concussion substitute when Steve Smith was struck on the neck by the ball at Lord’s.
A couple of years later, he topped the ICC test batting rankings but it was to his time in English county cricket before the 2019 Ashes series that he turned when asked the last time he felt in such good touch with bat in hand.
“The only one I can think of is probably 2019 at Glamorgan as a period of time but probably not across both formats,” he added.
“As has been documented, there are a few things I’ve changed technically. It’s all sort of come together, and it’s nice that it’s worked so far.”
Labuschagne said he had benefited from being dropped from the test side and hoped opener Sam Konstas, who is enduring a form slump and looks increasingly unlikely to make the Ashes squad when it is announced this week, would similarly benefit.
“It’s something that needed to happen to me to get where I am today because while you’re still playing you get scrutinised,” he said.
“It’s hard to get clarity on where you want your game to be and how you’re going to do that. “Sammy is so talented, we have seen that. He’s young, this is first-class cricket, it’s not easy. Especially batting at the top.
“I feel when he really learns his game and learns when to push, when to pull, when to attack, when to defend, when to use all his shots, he is going to be a very good player for Australia.”
The England squad arrived in Australia on Monday with the first Ashes test starting in Perth on November 21.
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