Cricket news | Marnus Labuschagne hundred against West Indies, bites back at critics in interview
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Marnus Labuschagne has told his critics to « have a look at some of the wickets » he had to contend with to start the Shield season with Queensland after he broke out of a mini form slump to score a big hundred on day one of the first Test of the summer against West Indies.
After an astonishing start to his Test career, where he quickly became the No.1 batsman in the world with an average of over 60, the South African-born Queenslander had started to look human over the past 18 months, culminating in murmurs about his form and eccentric technique leading into the Perth Test starting on Wednesday.
Yet he soon put that chatter to bed, getting to work on the kind of innings that Australian fans have become accustomed to since he came into the Test side in 2018, to set up his team for what’s set to be a huge first innings total, after climbing to 2/293 alongside Steve Smith.
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Sitting on an unbeaten score of 154 at stumps, with his batting mentor at the other end on 59 not out, Labuschagne was asked if he had been more nervous than usual leading up to the first Test due to his recent lean patch.
He used the opportunity to bite back, claiming anyone questioning his form hadn’t seen the treacherous pitches he’d been playing on.
»I’d certainly want people to come and have a look at some of the wickets. We had a couple of two-dayers in there, » Labuschagne said.
« But once again, whenever you’re not scoring runs there’s that little bit of doubt, so it comes back to your process as a player, you’ve just got to keep being patient and just build your game around your process, not always the result. »
Fox Cricket commentator Kerry O’Keeffe said Labuschagne may have even benefited from starting his domestic season on bowler friendly pitches, due to how much easier it would have felt for him on the Perth wicket.
»He’s been match hardened for a better batting pitch like this by those innings he’s played this season in Brisbane, » O’Keeffe said. « The ball was doing everything.
« Today he’s got it on a pitch where the ball hasn’t done as much as everyone expected, and he said ‘Well, this is a lot easier than I’ve been used to this summer’. And he’s 154 not out, it’s been an outstanding display of batsmanship and discipline.
« His low risk shot-making is the key to him, he doesn’t make errors, and that’s the tale of the tape, and Smith has followed in his slipstream. »
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After being brought to the crease with just nine runs on the board following the early dismissal of David Warner, Labuschagne didn’t take long to look comfortable and became the dominant partner alongside Usman Khawaja as the pair steadied the ship.
Then when Khawaja fell on 65, Labuschagne dug in, batting superbly with Smith before accelerating the scoring in the last session to land an early blow on the tourists.
Never one to be accused of lacking the hunger to occupy the crease and convert starts into hundreds, Labuschagne had some added motivation on Wednesday, with his newborn daughter Hallie in the crowd for the first time at a Test match.
Labuschagne admitted that had made his eighth century extra special, despite the fact that little Hallie slept through the nervous nineties, only to be jolted awake by her mother Rebekah’s celebration.
« Absolutely, my wife and my daughter Hallie made the trip here and it was nice for her to be able to see her first day of Test cricket and for me to be able to get a hundred, » he said.
« Those are memories that will sit with you for a very long time, so I’m very thankful for them to be here but it certainly was a little bit more special as a dad. »
Australia will resume their first innings on 2/293 on Thursday, with the West Indies staring down the barrel of a monster first innings total, with Smith hungry for his 29th Test hundred and eight wickets still in the shed.
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