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Marnus Labuschagne has been told to free himself of his self-imposed shackles in his quest to rediscover the form that made him Australia’s most bankable batter.
As most of Australia’s squad took off what would have been the fourth day of the Boxing Day Test, Labuschagne was among the less than a handful of players required back on the tools in the MCG nets on Monday.
Marnus Labuschagne takes a break after hitting in the MCG nets.Credit: Getty Images
Under the watchful eye of Australia’s batting coach Michael Di Venuto, Labuschagne gave dozens of onlookers close to every shot in his repertoire during a 45-minute net session designed not to tweak his technique but to reprogram his mind for the New Year’s Test in Sydney.
Though he still left deliveries slung by assistant coach Andre Borovec on the wanger that did not warrant a shot, he commandingly drove anything that was over-pitched – often straight down the ground – was strong off his pads and also pulled short balls at his body with authority.
It is this version of Labuschagne, evident in Perth and Brisbane, selectors want to see rather than the stodgy batter who, his coaches say, has placed too much emphasis on survival rather than scoring for much of the past two years.
During what should be the peak years of his career, Labuschagne, 31, is without a century from his past 38 Test innings, averaging a modest 24.76 and striking at 45.56 since the final Test of the 2023 Ashes. His strike rate was even lower at 37.7 in Adelaide and Melbourne, well below his career mark of just under 52.
National coach Andrew McDonald and Labuschagne’s batting mentor Neil D’Costa have both told the No.3 he needs to bat with a more positive frame of mind.
“I think there’s periods of time where he goes back into his shell and really trusts his defence, and I think within that it creates a little bit of error in his game, and he’s working on it,” McDonald said.
Marnus Labuschagne was put through his paces in the MCG nets ahead of the Sydney Test.Credit: Getty Images
“We saw early in the summer how he played in those first couple of Test matches – great intent, good movement, positive. It’s a difficult game, and batting on some of these surfaces is tricky, but it’s really about that mindset of going out there and scoring runs. And we’ve been consistent in that view from our end.
“And Marn’ will probably go into the technique a little bit more than we do, but we think it’s a mindset piece and his intent to score, and if he does that, he’s at his best.”
D’Costa said both of Labuschagne’s dismissals on the difficult track in Melbourne – caught in the cordon to a booming drive in the first innings and nicked off defending in the second – could have been avoided if he had been looking to score.
D’Costa said he had missed scoring opportunities earlier in the over to get off strike in the first innings.
“I look at what was leading to it, I felt like I could see that coming,” D’Costa said. “He hadn’t played well in that over. He could’ve had a couple of chances to get off strike. He wasn’t quite getting his bat as straight as he could. He wasn’t as positive as he could be, got stuck on strike, and it led to a judgment error.”
In the second innings, Labuschagne “should have been two feet out of the crease and hitting it through mid-off”, D’Costa said.
“That positive footwork comes from a positive mindset and comes from looking to score,” D’Costa said.
D’Costa is convinced Labuschagne’s eyes and reflexes remain sharp, as seen by his catching this series, and his problems lay in his head.
“Why it’s happening – he has to look in the mirror and ask himself,” D’Costa said.
“The desire to soak up balls has been there. Sometimes you get in and think you’re going to bat long, and you get yourself into a hole.
“When you decide, I’m going to sit here, you get stuck in a moment – simple as that. You need to decide I’m going to look to score and defend the balls I need to based on your risk management system. As soon as you see that ball to attack, your footwork and weight transfer is good and you’re away.”
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